For years, the Education Department has gathered detailed civil rights information from schools nationwide, tracking issues ranging from bullying and harassment to the availability of disability services for students. That data has long served as a critical tool for holding schools accountable.
But the most recent collection of that information has not been made available to the public — and it is now running approximately six months behind schedule.
Advocates and researchers who depend on the data say the delay makes it significantly harder to identify patterns of discrimination or unequal treatment in schools. Without the numbers, parents, policymakers, and civil rights organizations are left with an incomplete picture of what is happening inside classrooms across the country.
The Education Department has not publicly explained the reason for the holdup, and no timeline has been given for when the data might be released.
