Skip Office Navigation
OCR: Office for Civil Rights!
   Current Section
Title VI: Independent School District #761 (MN) OCR Complaint No. 05-10-1148

Independent School District #761 (District) submitted an agreement to resolve a Title VI complaint alleging harassment and disproportionate discipline of Somali students at Owatonna High School.  OCR and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division collaborated on the investigation and resolution with the District.  Prior to the conclusion of the investigation, the District signed a Resolution Agreement in which it agreed to take all reasonable steps to ensure that all students enrolled in the District are not subject to harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin, and to respond promptly and appropriately to all reports of harassment. To that end, the District agreed to improve its policies and procedures concerning harassment and discipline as necessary to make them effectively protect students from racial or national origin-based harassment.  Specifically, the District will (1) issue an anti-harassment statement to all District students, parents and staff; (2) conduct training of all District faculty, staff and students on discrimination and harassment; (3) meet with high school Somali students to discuss their concerns about harassment; (4) establish a working group of District personnel, students and parents to make recommendations regarding the effectiveness of the District’s anti-harassment program; (5) develop a District-wide monitoring program to assess the effectiveness of the district’s anti-harassment efforts; and (6) provide annual compliance reports to OCR and the Justice Department for the next three years.  Read the Press Release download files PDF (25K) | Read the Resolution Letter download files PDF (150K) | Read the Resolution Agreement download files PDF (85K)

 



   
Last Modified: 01/15/2020