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Office for Civil Rights
TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
Report on Nonpublic Schools Participating in Federal Programs
This Report is in response to questions concerning the participation by children enrolled in a nonpublic school in federally assisted programs administered by a public school.
Section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides as follows:
No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity which receives Federal financial assistance.
Any educational institution or system which applies to become a recipient of Federal financial assistance is required by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to submit an assurance of compliance form (HEW Form 441). See 45 CFR 80.4. In addition, the Office for Civil Rights requires such an applicant to provide adequate documentation relating to the policies and practices of participating institutions, in order to show that the program receiving Federal assistance will not be administered in a discriminatory manner.
The issue addressed here in whether OCR requires any information or documentation from a nonpublic school in order to determine that children enrolled in that nonpublic school are eligible to participate in a federally assisted program being administered by a public school or agency.
If the nonpublic school were a recipient of Federal financial assistance, apart from the federally assisted program administered by the public school, then the nonpublic school would be subject to the requirements, noted above, to submit a HEW Form 441 and other documentation. However, if the nonpublic school is not to be a recipient of Federal financial assistance, but merely seeks eligibility for its students to participate in the federally assisted program of the public institution, OCR does not require HEW Form 441 from the nonpublic school. Rather, OCR requires the public institution which is the recipient of Federal assistance to provide that form and the documentation referred to above. The recipient school is responsible for making sure that no discriminatory practices occur in the federally assisted program and, if any questions arise in this regard, OCR looks to the recipient for further information or compliance activities.
It should be noted, however, that the children enrolled in the nonpublic school cannot participate in the public school program if the nonpublic school engages in discriminatory practices prohibited by Title VI. Even though the nonpublic school is not a recipient, any discriminatory practices by it would, in our view, directly affect the federally assisted program.
Although the Regional Offices of OCR will be able to provide information about those schools which have become the subject of a compliance review, OCR does not maintain a list, as such, of approved nonpublic schools and we do not require a nonpublic school to be so listed in order that children enrolled there can participate in public school programs.
If there are any questions they should be sent to the appropriate Regional OCR Director. Their names and addresses are as follows:
REGION I—CONNECTICUT, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT
Mr. John G. Bynoe, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region I, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, RKO General Building—Room 501, Bullfinch Place—Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02114.
REGION IINEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, PUERTO RICO, VIRGIN ISLANDS
Ms. Barbara Walker, Acting Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region II, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 26 Federal Plaza—Room 3908, New York, New York 10007.
REGION IIIDELAWARE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA
Mr. Dewey E. Doods, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Region III, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Gateway Building, 3535 Market Street, Post Office Box 13716, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101.
REGION IVALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE
Mr. William Thomas, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region IV, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 50 Seventh Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30308.
REGION VILLINOIS, INDIANA, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, OHIO, WISCONSIN
Mr. Kenneth A. Mines, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region V, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 300 South Wacker Drive8th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
REGION VIARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHOMA, TEXAS
Ms. Dorothy D. Stuck, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region VI, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1200 Main Tower Building—Room 960, Dallas, Texas 75202.
REGION VIIIOWA, KANSAS, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA
Mr. Taylor D. August, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region VII, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 12 Grand Building, 12th & Grand Streets7th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.
REGION VIII—COLORADO, MONTANA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, WYOMING
Mr. David Florence, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region VIII, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Federal Building, 1961 Stout StreetRoom 11037, Denver, Colorado 80202.
REGION IXARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, HAWAII, NEVADA
Mr. Floyd L. Pierce, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region IX, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 760 Market StreetRoom 700, San Francisco, California 94102.
REGION XALASKA, IDAHO, OREGON, WASHINGTON
Ms. Marlaina Kiner, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Region X, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Arcade Plaza Building, 1321 Second Avenue, M/S 137, Seattle, Washington 98101.
Dated: August 16, 1976.
MARTIN H. GERRY,
Director, Office for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc.76-24656 Filed 8-20-76; 8 :45 am]
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