Nov. 17 (UPI) — The Education Department shared a list of institutions it said are under investigation for possible discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
A total of 51 higher education and K-12 schools were placed on the list as of Wednesday, indicating that the Office of Civil Rights has initiated an investigation into the institution.
“Hate has no place in our schools, period,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “When students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Muslim, Arab Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn.”
The department also shared a shorter list of seven institutions that are under investigation in Fiscal Year 2024, which began on Oct. 1 — six days before the Hamas attack against Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.
Among those named were Ivy League institutions Columbia University, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania.
The other institutions include Maize Unified School District in Kansas, Lafayette College, Wellesley College and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
The department said five of the complaints alleged anti-Semitic harassment and two alleged anti-Muslim harassment.
The department said the Biden administration sought to take aggressive action against the rise in antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment since the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas conflict.
On Nov. 1, authorities arrested a Cornell University student and charged him with posting anti-Semitic threats against the university’s Jewish community, according to federal officials. Patrick Dai, who allegedly threatened to “stab and rape” Jewish students, faces five years in prison along with a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
“We at the Department of Education, like the nation, see the fear students and school communities experience as hate proliferates in schools,” said Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.
“As we continue our active enforcement, the Office for Civil Rights is increasing transparency into our investigations for public awareness. As always, I emphasize that the Office for Civil Rights reaches conclusions at the end of investigations and that a school’s appearance on this list does not reflect a conclusion that the law has been violated.”
A University of Pennsylvania spokesperson told the student newspaper, the Daily Pennsylvanian, said the institution will cooperate fully with the investigation and believes it has been proactive in rooting out such discrimination.
“The university is taking clear and comprehensive action to prevent, address, and respond to anti-Semitism, with an action plan anchored in the National Strategy to Counter anti-Semitism,” the spokesperson wrote. “President Magill has made clear anti-Semitism is vile and pernicious and has no place at Penn; the university will continue to vigilantly combat antisemitism and all forms of hate.”
