Chairman Stephen Glassman said Tuesday that the students' pleas for help convinced the commission to act.
School officials say 10 students have been suspended over the attacks earlier this month, when about 30 Asian students said they were chased down hallways and beaten.
Dozens of Asian students boycotted classes for eight days, accusing school officials of failing to prevent the violence.
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act gives the commission authority to "investigate any problem of racial discrimination with the intent of avoiding and preventing the development of racial tension."
