The U.S. Department of Education has not been responding to questions about a backlog of complaints, including nearly 400 from civil rights activist Mark Perry alleging race and sex-related discrimination in higher education.
Some disability rights organizations have also expressed frustration with the office, agreeing its response time is slow.
Perry flags programs that are open only to female students, or only to students of color, in violation of federal civil rights laws.
Perry (pictured) has contacted the Office for Civil Rights more than 70 times over the past several years to ask for updates on 375 outstanding investigations or requests for evaluation he has filed, according to a January email he shared with The Fix that he sent to more than a half-dozen OCR officials.
“I am sure you’ll agree that a certain amount of frustration with these delays is understandable, especially given that 44 colleges and universities continue to violate Title IX despite being under a federal civil rights investigation for an average of 5 years,” Perry’s email to officials stated.