TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Tampa and Hillsborough County Public Schools are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education after alleged incidents of discrimination occurred in both institutions.
According to the department, UT and HCPS each have a case being looked at "for discrimination involving shared ancestry." UT was added to a growing list of schools and colleges under investigation on Monday while HCPS was added on Tuesday.
The list, which is currently at a combined 54 institutions, is reportedly growing due to alleged incidents of Islamaphobia and antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights launched the investigation on the basis of Title VI ensuring universities and K-12 schools provide students with an environment free from discrimination.
"The mission of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through the vigorous enforcement of civil rights," the agency said.
Other Florida universities on the list include Florida State and Nova Southeastern.
However, the department says any institution named on the list does not mean a decision about each case has been made.
For an institution to be named on the list or looked at, the department says it must first receive a complaint and determine if it has sufficient information to launch an investigation.
To see the full list of universities and K-12 schools under investigation, click here.