Tracking Civil Rights Enforcement Amid Federal Changes

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights – an agency charged with enforcing federal civil rights law at schools and colleges – has transformed dramatically during the second Trump administration. 

Some of those changes include: 

• Significant staff reductions and the closure of several regional offices
• A shift in priorities, with an increased emphasis on investigations involving transgender athletes and diversity efforts, alongside a reduced focus on racial and sexual harassment  
• An announcement that much of the agency’s work would be moved to the U.S.Department of Justice 
• The decision to rescind provisions around disparate impact, a key tool in discrimination investigations 

What do these changes to OCR’s structure and the substance of its work mean in practice? What’s the impact on students and families, and the remedies available to them? How are schools responding to the upheaval and navigating confusing – or even conflicting – guidance? Can states play a larger role in this work?  

Join the Education Writers Association on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 12 p.m. Eastern for a webinar to help reporters better understand today’s civil rights enforcement landscape. Get guidance for covering this important topic, including useful background information, angles to explore, reporting tips and ideas for how to localize the story. 

Hear from a law professor with expertise in civil rights and educational equity, an attorney who previously spent many years working at OCR, and journalists who have been covering changes at the agency.