ORS 332.505(2), effective January 1, 2024, requires Oregon public K-12 school districts and public charter schools to designate one or more Civil Rights Coordinators to oversee and coordinate compliance with state and federal nondiscrimination laws.
Designated Civil Rights Coordinators (CRCs) are encouraged to join ODE’s
Civil Rights Coordinator listserv to stay up to date on information, resources, and training opportunities.
What is the role of a Civil Rights Coordinator?
A Civil Rights Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the Oregon K-12 public school district or public charter school complies with state and federal civil rights law. This includes:
- Monitoring and overseeing compliance with state and federal civil rights laws, including, but not limited to, ORS 659.850, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- Overseeing discrimination complaints and ensuring that complaints are resolved and remedied
- Providing guidance to school district personnel regarding civil rights concerns
- Answering questions about civil rights issues from employees, students, families, and community members as needed
- Coordinating efforts to prevent discrimination
Contacting a Civil Rights Coordinator
OAR 581-021-0045(4) requires public school districts and public charter schools to post a notice of nondiscrimination on their website that includes the contact information for their designated Civil Rights Coordinator. This notice must be available either as a direct link on the front page of the school’s website or a direct link on the footer of every page on the website. Please visit your district/charter school website for contact information.
Training for Civil Rights Coordinators
ODE will make annual training opportunities available in multiple formats.
Civil Rights Coordinators must track and keep records of their completed training. They may use their own recordkeeping system, or
ODE’s Training Tracking Tool.2024-2025 Training
All designated Civil Rights Coordinators must complete training that complies with
OAR 581-021-0660(2) by June 30, 2025. ODE is offering three training options for the 2024-25 school year:
- In-person training was held August 6-7, 2024 in Salem, Oregon and is complete for this year. Additional in–person training options will be held in future years.
- Virtual synchronous training will be conducted via 2 hour Zoom sessions held twice a month from October 2024-March 2025 (Thursdays, 9-11 am).
- Virtual asynchronous training will be available via Canvas course in early 2025.
Civil Rights Coordinators can “mix-and-match” how they receive their training by attending some virtual synchronous training and completing other sessions as asynchronous modules.