A report released by the Defense Department's Inspector General April 22, 2024, says that instances of discriminatory conduct in the DOD school system are likely underreported and that the Department of Defense Education Activity needs stringent policies to better track cases of discrimination. DODEA disagreed with most of the findings. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
Discriminatory conduct at Defense Department schools is underreported and stronger policies are needed to better track cases of bad conduct, DOD investigators concluded in a new report.
Policy gaps hinder the Department of Defense Education Activity’s ability to identify the extent of discriminatory actions in its schools, the report found.
“Discriminatory behavior undermines the values of fairness, equality, and respect. When discrimination is underreported, it can perpetuate harmful practices, erode trust and create a hostile environment,” the department’s inspector general, Robert Storch, said in a statement released Monday.
DODEA took issue with most of the IG report, dismissing virtually all of its findings and recommendations and arguing that the IG misinterpreted the school system’s policies and procedures.
The findings called on DODEA to update policies related to the reporting, tracking and oversight of discrimination. The IG also recommended that schools implement a policy that requires tracking of all informally resolved complaints of discriminatory conduct in a standardized format.
The review examined DODEA databases that track reports of discrimination involving both students and personnel. Investigators looked at data from 2020 to 2023 and found 120 reports of student discrimination and seven involving personnel or others associated with the schools. The bulk of the complaints came in 2023, with 87 student reports. It wasn’t clear how many of those reports were substantiated.
The IG said the increase seen in 2023 was likely connected to better reporting rather than a rise in incidents, and it attributed that to improvements in DODEA’s reporting process.
Still, the spike highlights “the significant historical underreporting of discriminatory conduct incidents,” the IG said.
The IG also highlighted a 2021 DODEA-administered customer satisfaction survey completed by 9,718 students. About 11% responded that they had been made fun of for the color of their skin, origin or religion at least once on school property.
Those numbers also suggest possible underreporting, the IG said. DODEA officials, however, rejected that argument, saying the survey didn’t ask whether students had reported their experiences to school officials.
The IG, however, stood by its findings.
“We found that underreporting of discriminatory conduct incidents reduced DoDEA’s ability to prevent and address discriminatory conduct,” the IG said.
