Colleges receiving federal financial aid would be required to prominently display on their homepage a link to the Department of Education's civil rights complaint form, making it easier for students facing racial or ethnic discrimination to report it. The bill also directs the Department of Education to run a public awareness campaign about Title VI protections and requires schools to submit annual reports on the discrimination complaints they receive. The Inspector General would audit the schools with the highest per-capita complaint rates and study why many complaints never make it from the school level to the federal Office for Civil Rights.
Congressional Summary
Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in federal student aid programs to distribute information on how to report alleged violations of civil rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs or activities.)Specifically, the bill requires ED's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to conduct a public awareness campaign regarding the rights of individuals under Title VI. This campaign must be updated annually and distributed to IHEs.The bill requires an IHE to post a link on its website on how to file a Title VI complaint with OCR. Additionally, the IHE must annually post the materials from OCR's public awareness campaign. The information must be posted in high-traffic public places on campus (e.g., student centers) and high-traffic websites (e.g., the website for student services). OCR must give monthly congressional briefings on (1) the number of complaints filed with OCR, (2) how OCR plans to address those complaints and the investigations opened in response to those complaints, and (3) how long those complaints remain open.The bill also requires annual reporting by IHEs on discrimination complaints. Further, the bill directs ED's Office of Inspector General to audit and study discrimination complaints.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-12-18
- Date Added
- 2026-04-06