U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced the creation of the Outreach, Prevention, Education and Non-discrimination (OPEN) Center through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
The OPEN Center will offer support to schools, educators, families and students in order to bring about awareness of federal non-discrimination laws. It will be staffed by OCR civil rights attorneys.
“The OPEN Center is all about strengthening civil rights compliance through voluntary, proactive activities,” said Kenneth L. Marcus, assistant secretary of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. “Instead of waiting for violations to occur before responding, OCR will get in front of the problem, partnering with educators and other institutions to better protect students. As the name implies, we want to be a better resource, more welcoming and supportive of students, families, educators and communities.”
