US EditionEducation Department Recalls Hundreds of Civil Rights Employees It Placed on Leave
The Education Department is recalling over 250 Office for Civil Rights employees sidelined for nine months amid litigation and a $40 million taxpayer cost, aiming to reduce complaint backlogs.
- On December 08, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education called Office for Civil Rights employees placed on paid administrative leave earlier this year back to work, according to emails obtained by Inside Higher Ed.
- The Trump administration tried to cut half of OCR staff in March earlier this year, and the department has maintained its litigation defending the firings while seeking to refocus OCR's work.
- Reported counts vary, with Bloomberg citing more than 260 and USA Today roughly 250 employees told to return, emails set Dec. 15 and Dec. 29.
- The union estimated the pause cost more than $40 million, with Rachel Gittleman saying the OCR backlog must now be fixed by recalled employees.
- Friday emails obtained by Inside Higher Ed said compensated employees must meet performance expectations and enforce complaints, while Rachel Gittleman said Education Secretary Linda McMahon 'would rather play politics than uphold her responsibility.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Education Department Recalls Hundreds of Civil Rights Employees It Placed on Leave
Samuel Corum/Sipa USA via APThe Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is in the process of recalling hundreds of employees it placed on paid administrative leave, acknowledging it could not keep up with civil rights complaints without them.The move was first reported by USA Today, and confirmed by NOTUS. Employees were asked in an email on Friday to return to work, and have been instructed to return in person to their regional office…
ED Calls Civil Rights Workers It’s Trying to Ax Back to Work
The Education Department is calling Office for Civil Rights employees who were fired earlier this year back to work. The Trump administration tried to ax half of the Education Department’s OCR staff in March, but it has been paying them not to work since then while it continues to fight litigation contesting its plan. The department says it hasn’t given up on defending that move, but now says it’s “important to refocus OCR’s work and utilize all…
US Education Department civil rights staff returning to work to tackle complaint backlog • Washington State Standard
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Education Department is bringing back hundreds of employees in its Office for Civil Rights who were placed on paid administrative leave earlier this year, according to a Dec. 5 email to those employees obtained by States Newsroom. The effort came as the Office for Civil Rights, or OCR — which is tasked wi…
Daily Montanan
US Education Department civil rights staff returning to work to tackle complaint backlog
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Education Department is bringing back hundreds of employees in its Office for Civil Rights who were placed on paid administrative leave earlier this year, according to a Dec. 5 email to those employees obtained by States Newsroom. The effort came as the Office for Civil Rights, or OCR — which is tasked wi…
US Education Department civil rights staff returning to work to tackle complaint backlog • West Virginia Watch
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Education Department is bringing back hundreds of employees in its Office for Civil Rights who were placed on paid administrative leave earlier this year, according to a Dec. 5 email to those employees obtained by States Newsroom. The effort came as the Office for Civil Rights, or OCR — which is tasked wi…
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