The University of Tampa and Hillsborough County Schools are under investigation by the Department of Education related to alleged incidents of discrimination in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
According to CNN The investigations were made public Tuesday by the department, which added them to an online list of ongoing investigations.It also announced a second investigation into New York’s Columbia University.
Last week, the Department of Education launched investigations into six colleges – including Columbia, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania – and one K-12 school over alleged incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The investigations were launched by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, universities and K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide all students with an environment free from discrimination. Any person or organization can file a Title VI complaint with the Office for Civil Rights.
The agency is now conducting an unprecedented number of hate investigations, according to a department official.
The situation is becoming untenable for the Office for Civil Rights, which the official told CNN doesn’t have the investigative staff to match the influx of cases.
“Seeing the proliferation of hate on school campuses, we find it astonishing and scary,” the official said.
The Office for Civil Rights has now opened a total of 27 Title VI investigations this year. Fifteen similar investigations were opened last year and just two were opened in 2021. The office also investigates other kinds of rights violations, including those regarding sexual harassment.
“They (the Department of Education) are very clearly trying to demonstrate that they are moving quickly to respond to concerns they’ve heard from the public, from Congress and from the administration,” said Jonathan Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations and national engagement at the American Council on Education. The organization represents more than 1,700 colleges and universities.
“They have made it clear that they are going to be taking a very, very vigilant role on the issue of antisemitism on college campuses,” he added.
The Office for Civil Rights aims to resolve investigations within six months. Schools could ultimately lose federal funding if they don’t comply with the office’s recommendations, but investigations typically end with the school agreeing to address the incident or making policy changes if there is a systemic problem.
The University of Tampa, Columbia University and Hillsborough County Schools did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
