U.S. Department of Education Issues Dear Colleague Letter on Disclosing Hate Crimes

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid issued a Dear Colleague Letter on the voluntary disclosure of hate crimes. It acknowledged heightened concerns about hate crimes on campuses and reminded institutions that they may voluntarily provide information about hate crimes to members of their campus communities, beyond what the Clery Act requires they report. The Department noted that “the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ (FBI’s) Hate Crime Statistics Data Collection identifies sub-categories that institutions can use if they choose to voluntarily provide such additional information separate and apart from their obligations under the Clery Act” and provided the list in the Dear Colleague Letter.