What civil rights enforcement cuts mean for students with disabilities – fewer staff, closed offices, longer waits
The Office for Civil Rights lost nearly half its staff, and the Government Accountability Office said about 90% of resolved complaints were dismissed.
- In March 2025, the Education Department cut nearly half of its nearly 4,000-person workforce and permanently closed seven of 12 regional OCR branches, including Atlanta and Boston, restructuring federal civil rights oversight.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon described the department's shifts in April 2026 as necessary to increase "accountability" and "efficiency," departing from federal oversight Congress established more than 50 years ago to ensure schools implement special education law.
- The Government Accountability Office found that about 90% of complaints categorized as resolved were actually dismissed by the Education Department, while the agency received over 9,000 new discrimination complaints between March and September 2025.
- With only 21 states meeting federal special education requirements in 2025, students with disabilities like Felicita face significant hurdles receiving necessary academic support and appropriate services at school.
- The Education Department announced in June that the Justice Department will assume a larger role in civil rights investigations, leaving advocates with urgent questions about who will enforce federal special education laws when states and districts fall short.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Dallas Observer
Cobb County CourierWhat civil rights enforcement cuts mean for students with disabilities – fewer staff, closed offices, longer waits
For decades, the Office for Civil Rights served as a critical safety net when local schools failed to meet federal disability standards.
PBS NewsHour
BizTocCivil rights enforcement cuts mean fewer staff, closed offices, longer waits for students with disabilities
Filing a civil rights complaint with the Office of Civil Rights can be parents’ last stop. Following cuts and restructuring, this federal office is no longer serving that same resource.
The Conversation
What civil rights enforcement cuts mean for students with disabilities – fewer staff, closed offices, longer waits
The Department of Education has undergone various changes, including closing regional offices of its Office for Civil Rights, since 2025. J. David Ake/Getty ImagesFelicita 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, a…
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