September 2019

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Education proposed changes to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) in a Federal Register notice published on September 19. The CRDC is a biennial survey of data collected from local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools on indicators to inform compliance with federal civil rights laws.

OCR is proposing the expansion of data collection on reports of sexual violence, reports of bullying and harassment based on religious beliefs and sex/gender stereotypes, and the enrollment of students with disabilities in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.

In its stated effort to reduce reporting burdens, OCR is proposing the elimination of several indicators from the survey, including:

• Some early childhood education data from LEAs, including whether preschool is provided to all students, students with disabilities, students in Title I programs, and students from low-income families
• Disaggregation for the number of students age 3–5 enrolled in preschool by race, sex, English Learner status, and disability classification under the Individuals with Disabilities Act
• School finance data on expenditures
• The number of first-year and second-year teachers
• The number of teachers who are absent more than 10 school days per school year

Comments on the proposal can be submitted through November 18 on regulations.gov.