U.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts Roundtable for Education Working Group

BOSTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office hosted a diverse group of education advocates today from across the Commonwealth to participate in a roundtable discussion about civil rights issues in schools.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Education Working Group (EWG) was first announced at the Civil Rights Unit’s “Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline” Conference in March.  It is composed of a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from statewide advocacy groups, local communities and federal and state agencies, committed to protecting the civil rights of students in educational settings across the state. The EWG will meet regularly to share information, best practices, and other strategies that will work to address and prevent civil rights violations in Massachusetts.

“Massachusetts has some of the greatest schools in the country,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “We hope to work together with advocates and community members to ensure that all students – regardless of their race, national origin, gender, religion, or disability status – can access the tremendous educational opportunities our state has to offer.  We look forward to engaging with school districts across the Commonwealth to ensure equal access to education for all students.”

Additional roundtable topics of discussion included harassment and bullying in schools, school discipline, disability discrimination, English Language Learners, and accommodating immigrant and refugee students.  Members of the EWG concluded the two-hour meeting by sharing goals that aim to advance enforcement efforts and ensure equal protections under the law.

The Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office was established in 2015 with the mission of enhancing federal civil rights enforcement.  For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-ma/civil-rights.