Navigate This Page:
➡️ Who Can File A Civil Rights Complaint?
➡️ Why File A Civil Rights Complaint?
➡️ How Title IX Protects LGBTQ+ Rights
➡️ How to File A Title IX Complaint
➡️ Samples of Title IX Complaints
➡️ Filing A Complaint? Let Us Know
➡️ Other Options
Stand Up for Your Rights at School
School should be a safe, affirming place to learn and work for all students and staff. Federal civil rights laws protect students, staff, and faculty from discrimination at any institution that receives federal funds.
Discrimination can include:
- A single significant incident, such as sexual harassment
- A pattern of behavior, such as a teacher who intentionally misgenders or deadnames a student
- Institutional discrimination, such as a school that has a policy of censoring books with LGBTQ+ characters or themes of racial justice
- A failure to act, such as a school that fails to address verbal and physical bullying of transgender students
- Any combination of words and actions that creates a ‘hostile educational environment’ that makes it difficult or impossible for students or staff to work and learn at school.
Who can file a civil rights complaint?
If you or someone you know has experienced discrimination, you can file a complaint with the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights provided that the discrimination was:
- based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, or ancestry; sex or gender, including gender identity and transgender status; disability; or age;
- within the past 180 days;
- at an institution receiving federal funds from the U.S. Dept of Education.
Federal civil rights laws protect everyone in the school community: not just students, but also school staff and faculty. A complaint can be filed by anyone with knowledge of the discrimination. So a student can file their own; a student group can file one collectively; parents or guardians can file on behalf of their child; a teacher or staff member can file; a community organization can file on behalf of the students they serve.
Why file a civil rights complaint?
Civil rights complaints are the most accessible and democratic way to challenge a discriminatory law or policy. They can also be challenged in the courts, but that takes a lawyer. You could also use elections to elect a school board or a legislature that will repeal the discrimination. However, a civil rights complaint lets one person or a group file a challenge directly, and for free, and the Office of Civil Rights takes care of both the lawyers and the investigation.
Want to See If You Qualify to File A Title IX Complaint?
Take this assessment from the Office of Civil Rights to see if you qualify to file a Title IX Complaint.
Get More InformationLGBTQ+ Civil Rights at School Are Protected by Title IX
Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools, and the Department of Education interprets Title IX to cover discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Under Title IX, schools…
- Cannot separate, deny benefits to, or exclude a person on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;
- Must investigate and resolve allegations of discrimination, harassment, bullying, or physical harm based on sexual orientation and gender identity;
- Are required to take steps to protect students from harassment, bullying, physical harm, or discrimination
These protections apply to all school-run programs and extracurricular activities, including sports and clubs.
For more information about Title IX, please check out this resource from our partner Family Equality.
How to File a Civil Rights Complaint
To complete the process, you must both
1. submit the complaint form online, AND
2. sign and return an OCR consent form by email, fax, or mail using the contact information below.
Click Here to Fill Out the Online Complaint Form
Click Here to Access the Consent Form
Email, Fax, or Mail the Consent Form to:
Email: OCR@ed.gov
Fax: (202-245-8392)
Mail:
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100
Samples of Title IX complaints
Have you experienced discrimination based on your sex or gender? Use these examples to submit a Title IX civil rights complaint with the Office for Civil Rights.
Curriculum and book bans
Bullying
Discriminatory speech by a public figure, such as a school board member or principal
Bathrooms and facilities
Language/names/pronouns
Have More Questions?
If you have additional questions about the process of filing a Title IX complaint, don't hesitate to reach out the our team!
Email UsFiling A Title IX Complaint? Let Us Know
You have options.
You can also file a civil rights complaint with your school district’s Title IX coordinator, although there is no requirement to do so before filing a federal complaint. A local school district complaint can be more quickly resolved than a federal complaint; however, many districts are not appropriately handling complaints related to institutional discrimination, or discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. You can also file a local complaint and then appeal the decision to the Office of Civil Rights. The decision is yours.
Federal civil rights complaints can also be filed with the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, or certain other federal agencies.
