Norma V. Cantú is the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. She was nominated by President Clinton on March 5 and sworn in on May 24, 1993.

Assistant Secretary Cantú is responsible for enforcing the Federal civil rights statutes that protect the rights of students to an equal educational opportunity without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. The civil rights laws extend to a wide range of educational institutions that receive Federal funds. These include nearly every school district and college and university in the country as well as propriety schools and public libraries.

Cantú considers discrimination of any form to be a serious barrier to equal access and to the achievement of educational excellence in this country by all students. She believes effective civil rights enforcement can help all persons in making the most of their individual capacities and talents. As the head of the Department’s Office for Civil Rights, Cantú seeks to establish a civil rights compliance program directed at affording all students the opportunity to realize their educational potential from the moment they enter the classroom.