The U.S. Department of Education’s (Department’s) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today released a Dear Colleague Letter to schools specifying with concrete examples the application of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to allegations of discrimination in schools based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including discrimination against students and school community members who are or are perceived to be Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian, Hindu, or Palestinian.