WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights is known best for enforcing the right to disability services across America鈥檚 schools. But under President Donald Trump, it鈥檚 taking a frontline role in his political battles.
Trump appointees have halted thousands of pending cases while they open new investigations aligned with the president鈥檚 campaign promises. Career staffers have been sidelined and pressured to quit, and those who remain are being ordered to refocus priorities on , and .
A memo Friday from the civil rights office鈥檚 chief announced antisemitism cases are now the top priority, taking aim at colleges where pro-Palestinian protests brought . That followed a decision to cut $400 million in federal money , where on Saturday immigration officials who was involved in leading student protests.
Hanging in the balance are the types of cases the office traditionally has focused on 鈥 who need services they aren鈥檛 getting, or students facing harassment tied to their skin color.
It鈥檚 normal for new presidential administrations to pause civil rights cases while they get acclimated, but this transition brought a longer and more rigid freeze than others. Trump officials lifted the freeze for disability cases on Feb. 20, and last week, new Education Secretary said all cases could resume as normal.
During Trump鈥檚 first month in office, the Office for Civil Rights resolved about 50 cases, according to a staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. By comparison, the office resolved more than 3,000 complaints in the same window of Trump鈥檚 first term, and almost 500 under former President Joe Biden.
Even the most urgent cases, which are traditionally granted exceptions, sat idle during the freeze. Staff lawyers were told not to respond to outside calls or emails, leaving families in the dark.
Another staff member at the civil rights office described desperate emails from parents whose schools refused to make accommodations for their children鈥檚 disabilities. 鈥淲e were just ignoring their emails,鈥 said the person, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Tylisa Guyton of Taylor, Michigan, filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights on Jan. 20 over her 16-year-old son鈥檚 repeated suspensions from a suburban Detroit school district, alleging a white administrator was targeting him and a group of other Black children. The teen has been out of school since Dec. 4. Even as investigations resume, she has heard nothing from the civil rights agency.
鈥淗e鈥檚 still asking every day, 鈥榃hen can I go back to school?鈥欌 Guyton said of her son.
The memo Friday told staffers antisemitism would be an 鈥渋nvestigative and enforcement priority.鈥 It added the memo should not be interpreted as "鈥榙eprioritizing鈥 any other form of OCR enforcement activity.鈥 But staffers said that鈥檚 the most likely outcome as dwindling ranks of employees face heavier caseloads tied to the president鈥檚 agenda.
On Monday, the Education Department sent a letter to 60 colleges warning they could lose federal money if they fail to make campuses safe for Jewish students. The list includes Harvard, Cornell and many others where pro-Palestinian protests led to accusations of anti-Jewish bias.
Politics usually play into the office鈥檚 priorities to some degree, and Republicans similarly accused Biden officials of going too far when they opened cases into COVID-19 mask bans or in support of transgender students. But several longtime staffers said this is the first time they鈥檝e seen cases tied to political agendas edge out their everyday work.
Trump has called for a total , calling it a 鈥渃on job鈥 infiltrated by leftists. At her Senate hearing, McMahon said the civil rights office might be better served if it moves to the Justice Department.
Some cases are moving forward, but others appear to be stalled, said Marcie Lipsitt, a special education advocate in Michigan.
鈥淚鈥檝e said to everyone, 鈥橸ou鈥檙e going to have to fight harder for accountability because there will be no accountability at the U.S. Department of Ed, if there is a U.S. Department of Ed,鈥 she said.
At the same time, Trump鈥檚 officials have continued to open their own 鈥渄irected investigations鈥 鈥 proactive inquiries that depart from the office鈥檚 typical work responding to complaints. The office has opened more than a dozen such investigations, many aimed at pressuring universities to stop allowing or to take a harder stance against pro-Palestinian protesters.
It adds up to more work for fewer employees at the office of about 500 workers. Staffers say field offices across the country were hit after dozens of department workers were put on leave in response to Trump鈥檚 orders against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Many others took buyouts pushed by the Trump administration, leaving some field offices without administrators in key leadership jobs.
Minor changes to the office鈥檚 policies could also carry outsize impact. Complaints to the office can鈥檛 move forward unless the filer signs a consent form allowing their name to be disclosed during the investigation. For years, the office sent reminders if the form was not submitted 鈥 parents often didn't know it was required. But an updated case manual from the Trump administration drops the reminders.
Staffers say it means more cases will be dismissed on a technicality.
Some special education advocates have begun filing more cases with state agencies, said Brandi Tanner, an Atlanta-based psychologist and special education advocate. In conversations at a recent conference in California, disability advocates expressed uncertainty and anxiety, Tanner said.
鈥溾橧t鈥檚 kind of like, we鈥檙e very scared about what else is going to continue to come down the pike,鈥 she said. 鈥淎re students going to lose their rights?鈥
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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.
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