In an April 28 post on “Homeroom,” the official blog of the Department of Education (ED), ED called on schools to remove the criminal background question from admissions.

“This Second Chance Month … ED calls upon institutions across the country to re-examine their admissions and student service policies and holistically determine how they can better serve and support current and formerly incarcerated students. We call on you to ban the box,” ED urged.

The “ban the box” slogan alluded to a campaign started by the civil rights group All of Us or None in 2004 which aims to remove questions asking about prior criminal convictions from employment application materials.