The Latest Breaking News from The Office for Civil Rights

What civil rights enforcement cuts mean for students with disabilities – fewer staff, closed offices, longer waits

Felicita Piñón weighed just 1 pound at birth. She was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy that requires her to use a power wheelchair, and she also has learning and emotional challenges. Yet despite these obstacles, Felicita, now an eighth grade student, is just like any other happy, active teenager who…

The Conversation · Sep 25

Trump administration scrubs data on gender-based bullying from school civil rights survey

The Trump administration this week quietly released an update to a major survey on civil rights in schools that was scrubbed of all data related to nonbinary students or bullying based on gender identity

The Independent UK · Sep 4

Trump is shifting special ed, civil rights out of Education Department. Here's what we know

The Education Department is transferring oversight of special education and civil rights to other agencies

The Independent UK · Jun 16

‘We’re Not Just Some Bureaucrats’: DOE Employees on How Their Work Helps Texas Students

Department of Education workers and union leaders in Texas say kids will pay the price for Trump’s decision to “break this system.”

Texas Observer · Mar 21, 2025

Back into the Dark Age for Down Syndrome

Dismantling Education Department threatens to push people with Down Syndrome back into the Dark Age

Salon · Mar 21, 2025

Education Department staff cuts could limit options for families of kids with disabilities

For parents of kids with disabilities, advocating for their child can be complicated, time-consuming — and expensive

The Independent UK · Mar 16, 2025

Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come

The U.S. Department of Education cut its workforce by nearly 50% on March 11, 2025, when it laid off about 1,315 employees. The move follows several recent directives targeting the Cabinet-level agency.

The Conversation · Mar 14, 2025

Kids' disability rights cases stalled as Trump began to overhaul Education Department

As President Donald Trump reshaped the Education Department, parents say investigations and mediations into kids' disability rights cases ground to a halt

The Independent UK · Feb 20, 2025

Kids fight back: A year in book banning

In one Texas town, students fought back with banned-book clubs, pride events and political activism

Salon · Dec 30, 2023

In Katy, Texas, Students Fight Back With Banned-Book Clubs, Pride Events and Political Activism

Culture wars rage as school board puts $93,000 in new library books in storage and bans titles by Judy Blume and Dr. Seuss.

Capital & Main · Dec 13, 2023