(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights have settled a discrimination claim against a private Tennessee university accused of discriminating against Jewish students.
The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University, located in Harrogate, denied Jewish students’ requests to reschedule exams and classes to accommodate religious holidays, according to information from the Justice Department. The university granted non-Jewish students the same requests as those made by Jewish students.
“Students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds – including Jewish students – should receive the same treatment at our nation’s universities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “As its Jewish students prepare this week to observe Yom Kippur, we commend Lincoln Memorial University for its swift action addressing the Department’s concerns regarding discrimination and unequal treatment.”
The university will reverse all penalties imposed on Jewish students and revise policies to allow excused absences for religious holidays as part of the settlement, according to the Justice Department. Staff, students and administrators will be educated on the policy. The settlement will allow the university to remain eligible for federal funding, the department said.
“Our nation’s future healthcare professionals should be able to pursue their training without compromising their faith or their civil rights,” said Director Paula M. Stannard of the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. “Through our joint action with the Department of Justice, Lincoln Memorial University is ending practices that penalized Jewish students and will establish clear protections for religious accommodations moving forward.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication obtaining a comment from Lincoln Memorial University.
This post was originally published on The Center Square.