Office for Civil Rights Finds District of Columbia Public Schools at Fault for Extensive Discrimination Against Students Who Have Disabilities
OCR cites months-long evaluation delays, untrained decisions, and unreliable transportation.
March 18, 2026, U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a press release announcing the results of its directed investigation into District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). OCR concluded that the division violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying students with disabilities a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
“After a thorough investigation, today’s findings reveal that D.C. Public Schools has extensively violated federal antidiscrimination law by failing to serve students with disabilities. Students and their families have been forced to demand accommodations the law entitles them through an adversarial system that, among other shortcomings, denies students timely evaluations, individualized placements, and reliable transportation that meets students’ needs.”
~Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey.
The press release highlights three major categories of discriminatory practices:
DCPS’s “policies discriminate against students with disabilities, leaving many without timely evaluations and the individualized services they need. Some students wait four months or longer for evaluations, delaying the support essential to their learning and development.”
DCPS “allows untrained staff members to make decisions about the educational needs of students with disabilities and permits education services to be removed from a students’ plan if the school social worker runs out of time or if a student seems unmotivated to participate.”
DCPS “has no way to ensure students with disabilities have adequate transportation to and from school, presenting serious safety concerns for these students.”
OCR also described a proposed resolution agreement that would require major structural changes, including:
“The District will establish a Disability Services Division to oversee the District’s provision of services to students with disabilities;
“The District will revise its policies related to students with disabilities, including those related to the identification, evaluation, and placement of students with disabilities;
“The Disability Services Division will provide annual training to District level staff, school transportation staff, Special Education Coordinators, and other school level administrators on the District’s revised procedures for serving students with disabilities; and,
“The Disability Services Division will develop a process to properly manage transportation requests, bus delays and cancellations, and safety incidents for students with disabilities.”
However, DCPS has not yet accepted OCR’s proposed resolution agreement. According to the press release, if OCR’s proposed resolution agreement is not accepted, OCR may initiate enforcement action.
No Surprise
OCR’s findings didn’t appear in a vacuum.
December 2024, the District of Columbia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reported that DCPS has had one of the highest rates of IDEA due process complaints when measured per 10,000 children served, and concluded DCPS’s “high rate of due process complaints warrants serious attention to explore why families are suing for services they are entitled to.”
Transportation—one of the key focuses of OCR’s investigation—has also escalated into major federal court fights. A federal class action complaint filed in March 2024 alleges systemic failures in DCPS’s special education transportation system.