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How it works

From incident to filed complaint.

Magen works whether you’re in a K-12 school or a college. It pairs an AI intake with civil rights lawyers so you don’t have to figure out the legal process alone. Here’s what happens after you start a report.

The Process

Six steps, start to finish

  1. 01

    You tell us what happened

    Start a report as a guest or with an account. A short, plain-language form walks you through the basics: who you are, where the incident happened, when, what occurred, who was involved, and what evidence you have. You can save and come back — nothing is filed until you say so.

  2. 02

    AI asks the follow-up questions a lawyer would

    Magen's AI reviews your report and asks targeted follow-up questions a Title VI lawyer would ask — things like how the incident affected your studies, whether you reported it to the school, and what the school did (or didn't do) in response. Your answers go into the case file alongside the rest of your report.

  3. 03

    A lawyer decides whether your complaint meets the standards required for a Title VI filing

    A lawyer reads what you've told us against what OCR requires: conduct severe or pervasive enough to limit your education, a school that knew and failed to act, and an incident inside the 180-day window (or a reason to ask OCR to waive it). That review has three possible endings — the complaint goes forward, it's held to be filed together with other incidents at your school as a pattern, or a lawyer concludes a Title VI complaint isn't the right step. You'll be told which, and why.

  4. 04

    A lawyer prepares your complaint

    A lawyer at the organization holding your case reviews the facts and prepares your OCR complaint, organized the way the Department of Education expects. They check the legal framing, sharpen the argument, and will reach out if something needs more evidence or clarification. Nothing is filed until you’ve signed the consent form authorizing it.

  5. 05

    Your lawyer files it on your behalf

    Once the complaint is ready and you’ve signed the required consent form, the organization holding your case files it with the Office for Civil Rights — either through OCR’s online portal or by email. You get a confirmation and a copy of everything that was submitted.

  6. 06

    You can track the case as it moves

    The Report Status page shows where your complaint stands: filed, under evaluation, opened for investigation, in resolution, or closed. It’s updated as OCR communicates, so you don’t have to chase anyone for answers. The same page picks up a report you started and didn’t finish.

What OCR Does

Inside the OCR process

Once your complaint is filed with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, it moves through three phases. Your lawyer handles the back-and-forth with OCR, so you aren’t tracking deadlines or chasing responses yourself.

  • Evaluation (typically 30–60 days)

    OCR decides whether to open your complaint — checking timely filing, jurisdiction, and whether the allegations, if true, would violate Title VI. Not every complaint is opened: OCR dismisses some on timing or jurisdiction, and its priorities shift from one administration to the next.

  • Investigation

    OCR contacts the school, requests documents, interviews witnesses, and analyzes the institution's response to the incident. This is where most of the real work happens, and timelines vary widely — many cases run a year or more, and some stretch across multiple years.

  • Resolution

    Most cases end in a voluntary resolution agreement: the school commits to specific corrective action — policy changes, training, climate assessments, sometimes a dedicated Title VI coordinator. OCR monitors compliance for a defined period. In rare cases, OCR refers matters to the DOJ for enforcement.

Your part stays small. Once the complaint is filed, most of the work happens between OCR and your school, not with you. If OCR opens an investigation, the most you’re likely to be asked for is a short conversation with an investigator about what happened — usually by phone or video. Because a lawyer files as your representative, OCR can also route that contact through them. Beyond that, you might be asked to clarify a detail or point to a document you already provided.
Set your expectations honestly. OCR moves slowly — a case can take a year, and sometimes several. Not every complaint is opened for investigation, and enforcement priorities change with each administration. That’s worth knowing up front — but it doesn’t make your report a waste. Even when OCR declines or delays, your account is on the record: it can become evidence in a pattern complaint against your school, inform researchers tracking campus antisemitism, and strengthen advocacy on your campus and with lawmakers. Filing puts your experience where it counts.
You don’t have to file through us. OCR takes complaints directly from anyone — free, without a lawyer, online or by email. What a lawyer changes is the complaint itself: it’s written to the standard OCR actually applies rather than into a blank box, your documents are read against your own account and the passages worth quoting are checked word for word, and your incident can be filed alongside others from your school as a pattern, which you can’t do on your own. If you’re past 180 days, a lawyer makes the waiver argument. And because a lawyer files as your representative, OCR routes its questions through them. None of it costs you anything. How to file with OCR yourself (opens in a new tab)
Retaliation is illegal. Federal law forbids your school from punishing you for filing a Title VI complaint. If they try, that’s a separate violation — and your lawyer can help with that too.

Ready to start a report?

It takes about 15 minutes to get through the intake. You can save your progress at any point and come back later — nothing is filed until you and a lawyer agree it’s ready.

Report an Incident →

Want the legal background first? Read Title VI basics.