The New College of Florida is already facing legal trouble as the newly rebranded school begins its first year under a conservative board installed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
The U.S. Department of Education launched a federal civil rights investigation into New College’s alleged discrimination against those with disabilities, per the agency’s letter sent to the college’s interim president Richard Corcoran on Friday.
The DOE’s Office of Civil Rights notified the college of its investigation after receiving an anonymous student, faculty, and staff complaint filed on August 22.
The federal agency plans to investigate New College over disability discrimination to determine whether it “excluded qualified persons with disabilities from participation in, denied them the benefits of, or otherwise subjected them to discrimination in its programs, activities, aids, benefits, or services,” according to the letter.
The DOE also said it plans to investigate whether New College communicated effectively with disabled individuals compared to its communication with others.
The complaint includes a number of instances in which the school has received pushback for marketing to and bringing in conservative freshmen while neglecting its liberal upperclassmen.
Earlier this year, the Sarasota-based New College underwent a swift transition from a largely progressive state school to a conservative haven. In January, DeSantis appointed six members to the liberal arts college’s board of trustees, including conservative journalist Christopher Rufo, to completely overhaul its political makeup.
DeSantis and the college’s revamped administration have received pushback since then, regarding political issues such as transgenderism and diversity, equity, and inclusion. New College reportedly took down all-gender bathroom signs and removed its DEI office, among other state-backed measures, according to the DOE’s letter.
DeSantis prompted the board’s slate of divisive actions after he vowed left-wing indoctrination and “woke” initiatives have no place on its campus.
New College of Florida is blazing a trail of success and setting the standard for operating a university. The board abolished the school’s gender studies program and now has the highest enrollment in school history.
Pushing indoctrination and handing out worthless degrees is no…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 18, 2023
The recently filed complaint argued the removal of LBGT, gender studies, and diversity programs forced progressive students to leave and transfer elsewhere. Some students described these actions as fostering a hostile environment for those whose political beliefs don’t match with the new administration’s.
As a result, the complaint requested federal departments require New College to train staff, administration, and the board of trustees on supporting LGBT and minority students. The complaint also asked federal departments to order the college’s leadership to get rid of allegedly discriminatory policies and provide equal housing for all students who wish to live on campus.
In an emailed statement to National Review, New College’s Communications & Marketing Office responded to the complaint’s allegations.
“We are aware of the anonymous complaint that was purportedly sent to the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice, a complaint that was first sent to the media and was never sent to the college,” the statement read. “The anonymous complaint details many false claims meant to grab headlines, and it is important to note that the only claim that is being looked into is the disability compliance claim, of which we are confident the DOE will also find to be without merit.”