LAWRENCE (KSNT) - Federal education officials say numerous investigations are being opened against universities across the nation, including in Kansas, for alleged violations of the Title VI Civil Rights Act of 1964. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced on March 14 in a press release that it is investigating 45 universities following the Office for Civil Rights' (OCR) Dear Colleague Letter that was issued on Feb. 14 this year. The OCR's letter reiterated schools' civil rights obligations to end the use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education activities and programs. The University of Kansas is named as one of the universities under investigation by the DOE in its latest report. KU is under investigation for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in its graduate programs. Kansas Mexican restaurant sealed shut after tax raid “The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination. The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”  27 News reached out to the University of Kansas for comment on this situation. Director for News and Media Relations at KU Erinn Barcomb-Peterson responded with the following message. Controversial FAFSA high school graduation requirement removed in Kansas "We are working to learn more about this investigation," Barcomb-Peterson said. "As Chancellor Girod shared last month following the “Dear Colleague” letter, KU’s leadership team has been assessing all university activity as called for in the letter." The Dear Colleague Letter was issued to educational institutions which receive federal funding. It clarified that, under federal antidiscrimination law, they must put an end to the use of race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline and other programs and activities. The DOE said that educational institutions which are found to be violating Title VI can lost out on federal funding. You can learn more about the Dear Colleague Letter and what it means by clicking here. Kansas law enforcement agencies sign up to help ICE conduct deportations For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf ...read more read less