Discrimination can happen to any California resident. One of the places where you might least expect it to occur is in school. Some students face discrimination because they are older.
Age discrimination in education
Similar to work discrimination against individuals who are over a certain age, age discrimination in education occurs when a person is discriminated against for their age in the educational sector. By law, educational programs and facilities that receive federal financial assistance from the government are not allowed to discriminate against students or prospective students based on their age. Normally, victims are age 40 or older. Schools are required to offer older students the same opportunities as those who are younger.
Laws against age discrimination
The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 is the law that makes it illegal for age discrimination to occur in education. If a person has unfairly been denied financial assistance or entry into an educational institution, they have the right to complain.
Filing a complaint
You can file an age discrimination in education claim with the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). There are 12 different OCR offices across the country, so you can send your complaint in writing to the closest location.
Your complaint should include your full name and home address, the name and location of the school and details about the discrimination you faced from that school. If your claim is about discrimination that someone else experienced and you are filing on their behalf, you do not have to provide the victim’s name. Your complaint should be filed within 180 days from the date the incident occurred.
Discrimination often happens when you least expect it, but there are laws to ensure that all citizens are treated fairly.