The Office for Civil Rights investigation into the Park City School District has increased in scope.
The Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, is now investigating complaints at Treasure Mountain Junior High and Park City High School. Those were added to the investigation the OCR launched in February at Ecker Middle School after a formal parent complaint about anti-Semitic bullying and other racist incidents.
The OCR handles complaints about various types of civil rights law violations in public schools. It currently has 20 racial harassment claims under review in Utah. Two of those are in Park City; one filed Feb 16 and another filed March 7 of this year. In addition, the OCR opened a sexual harassment investigation at a Park City school on March 7.
The growing scope of the inquiries likely stems from concerns expressed by families and district employees after the Ecker Hill investigation began. Multiple local sources told KPCW they either filed their own complaints or were interviewed by an OCR attorney after the agency’s review of Ecker Hill began in February.
The OCR does not comment on active investigations and declined to discuss its work in Park City with KPCW.
One district employee said that this week, the OCR administered surveys to all who work at the campuses under investigation; since it was mailed out Tuesday, someone close to the investigation 100 employees have responded to it.
To read the full story, visit KPCW.org.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
