Office for Civil Rights Requires Reydon Public Schools (OK) to Revise Valedictorian Policy After Student with IEP was Disqualified
OCR identified disability-discrimination concerns after RPS initially disqualified a student with an IEP from valedictorian consideration, then reversed course and named the student valedictorian.
May 15, 2026, U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a letter of findings to Reydon Public Schools (RPS) in Oklahoma, after investigating a complaint filed by a father on behalf of his child, who is a student who has a disability.
OCR styled the complaint as OCR Case No. 07-26-1328 and investigated the following allegation:
“[W]hether the District discriminated against the Complainant’s child (the Student) on the basis of disability by denying the Student the ability to qualify for valedictorian, in violation of Section 504, 34 C.F.R. § 104.4, Title II, and 28 C.F.R. § 35.130.”
Before OCR completed its investigation, RPS expressed interest in resolving the complaint. May 11, 2026, RPS entered into a resolution agreement with OCR. The agreement states that it “does not constitute an admission of liability, non-compliance, or wrongdoing by the District.”
OCR didn’t issue a final violation finding. Instead, OCR stated that “the District’s initial application of its valedictorian policy may have discriminated against the Student based on disability.”
