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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Colleagues: we are monitoring this, as is the State Attorney General’s Office. Just an FYI for now, below…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">DeVos Creates New Unit for 'Proactive' Civil Rights Enforcement<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The Trump administration is creating a new unit at the Education Department that's meant to help schools and colleges
"proactively" comply with federal civil rights laws before they're hit with complaints.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The new Outreach, Prevent, Education and Non-discrimination Center, or OPEN Center,<b>
</b>will be housed in the Office for Civil Rights, the department said. The team of lawyers will provide "targeted support" to school districts and colleges about their obligations under federal civil rights laws.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">"The OPEN Center underscores OCR's efforts to support all schools and provide technical assistance<b>
</b>to help them come into compliance with federal civil rights law prior to the filing of a complaint," DeVos said in a statement. Kenneth Marcus, the assistant secretary for civil rights, said the new effort "is all about strengthening civil rights compliance
through voluntary, proactive activities."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Christian Corrigan<b>,</b> who is now senior counsel in the Office for Civil Rights, will serve as the center's
acting director, according to the department. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The context:<b>
</b>Congressional Democrats have repeatedly criticized the Education Department's approach to civil rights during the Trump administration, arguing that DeVos has scaled back and weakened enforcement.</span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <img width="77" height="53" style="width:.802in;height:.552in" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D5D1C5.775DDBE0" alt="Joe"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt:10.55pt;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Medium",sans-serif;color:#003764">Joe Holliday<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:10.55pt;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Medium",sans-serif;color:#003764">Director, Student Services<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:10.55pt;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:10.55pt;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:jholliday@sbctc.edu"><span style="color:#0563C1">jholliday@sbctc.edu</span></a><span style="color:#003764">•
o: 360-704-4334 • f: 360-704-4418</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.sbctc.edu/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:blue">sbctc.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003561">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">• Twitter:
</span><a href="https://twitter.com/SBCTCWashington"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:blue">@SBCTCWashington</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">
• Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/wasbctc/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:blue">@WASBCTC</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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