SARASOTA, Fla. — New College of Florida has entered into an agreement with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education to resolve a compliance review brought under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The compliance review is related to OCR Docket No. 04-23-2301, which pertains specifically to the New College website (NCF.edu) and content on third-party websites where New College posts content, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram.
The noncompliant aspects of New College’s online presence, especially NCF.edu, are the result of years of inattentiveness to maintaining online compliance standards and effective guidelines for digital communications. New College leaders have taken immediate action to address the matters raised and will continue to do so in a collaborative manner with OCR.
“We hold ourselves to the highest standard of compliance and recognize the importance of ensuring the New College website is effective for all users, including users with disabilities,” said New College Interim President Richard Corcoran.
Members of the New College staff met with OCR representatives on September 13 to review potential areas of concern. Subsequently, an accessibility committee has convened and work has commenced on correcting identified issues. The execution of the agreement terms will take place over approximately eight months and will include significant upgrades to NCF.edu.
OCR has conducted more than 100 similar investigations involving elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools in Florida and nearly 2,000 such cases nationwide. The Florida Department of Education entered an agreement to resolve a compliance review case earlier this year, and cases with nearly identical website issues as New College’s have been resolved at other State University System schools through the same agreement process.
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About New College of Florida
Founded in Sarasota in 1960, New College of Florida is ranked the No. 6 Public National Liberal Arts College from U.S. News & World Report and is the Honors College of Florida. New College provides students with limitless, original opportunities for success through a highly individualized education that combines academic excellence with career preparation experiences.
New College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors in arts, humanities and sciences; a master’s degree program in applied data science; and certificates in technology, finance, and business skills.