The Trump administration’s gutting of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights leaves millions of students vulnerable, halting discrimination investigations and dismantling key protections for marginalized youth.
Betrayal would be the simplest way to describe the Trump administration’s open disregard for the Department of Education and its Office for Civil Rights. A betrayal of the department’s initial mission to advance education equity, a betrayal of the vital oversight the department was built to provide, and—perhaps worst of all—a betrayal of the countless students, families and communities who continue to entrust the department to respect and protect students’ rights and well-being.
The Department of Education plays a vital role in protecting the rights of students across the country, along with its other responsibilities, like supporting state and local education systems. Within the department is an Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which, until recently, received and investigated discrimination and other serious complaints from students and their families.
Over the last several weeks, the department has been gutted by the firing of half of its staff. OCR abruptly decided to stop investigating discrimination complaints, targeting especially those involving race or sex.
Then, newly appointed Secretary Linda McMahon laid off hundreds of OCR staffers, closing seven of the 12 regional offices, and leaving only skeleton staffing at the remaining offices.
In a particularly devastating move, the administration has eliminated the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), which previously provided critical support and resources for multi-language learners. This leaves millions of immigrant and multilingual students without dedicated federal advocacy and protections. Students experiencing homelessness have also been especially hit hard, as the administration is beginning to dismantle crucial support systems that help to ensure school stability and educational access for more than 1.3 million homeless students nationwide—at a time when youth homelessness continues to rise across the U.S.
At the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), we’re standing up for students on multiple fronts, including with a recently filed lawsuit that seeks to force the OCR to resume investigating civil rights complaints.
Nikki Carter, one of the lead plaintiffs in our lawsuit challenging the OCR’s abdication of duty, is a parent who filed a complaint with OCR after experiencing racial discrimination from her children’s school district.
Another plaintiff in our case is the parent of a child who experienced sexual assault and harassment by a classmate. When the school failed to address the situation, A.W. withdrew her child from school for their safety and filed an OCR complaint.
These complaints are among thousands that have now been put on pause, with no planned investigations nor any communication to the thousands of people who are now being denied justice from the very agency from which they sought help.
There is no logic in the department’s decision to investigate only some complaints but not others—only cruelty. Girls who are subject to sex-based discrimination in school are entitled to justice. Black and Brown students who are harassed are entitled to hold their schools accountable. All students, regardless of race, gender, sex or disability, have equal rights under the law.
While our lawsuit aims to reverse OCR’s investigative freeze policy, there’s plenty that state leaders can do to fill the void. Two dozen members of the Education Civil Rights Alliance, a NCYL-led coalition formed during the first Trump administration to protect students’ civil rights, recently sent letters to state legislators and executive leaders that outline moves they can take to strengthen students’ civil rights protections. These include creating or strengthening complaint processes, increasing resources for civil rights enforcement, and keeping students and families informed of their rights and avenues for complaints.
There’s so much that can be done our home communities to help ensure students are afforded the care and support they need in this critical moment:
Trust in youth leadership.
Students aren’t just victims of these rollbacks—they’re powerful agents of change. When we create genuine leadership spaces for young people, particularly those most impacted by educational injustice, they develop solutions we adults could never imagine. Their lived experiences contain wisdom that no policy expert can match. In my work, I’ve seen high school students transform hostile discipline systems, create mental health resources for their peers, and successfully advocate for curricula that reflect their communities’ histories. Young people are already leading—our job is to remove barriers and amplify their voices.
Make community schools centers of local power.
As federal protections disappear, we must transform our schools into true community hubs that provide comprehensive support. Community schools—with integrated health services, family engagement and extended learning—create foundations from which local communities can reclaim power and purpose amid growing fear and uncertainty.
Reclaim the narrative.
We can’t allow harmful rhetoric to define education. By sharing stories that celebrate the transformative power of inclusive, equitable education, we remind communities what’s truly at stake — not abstract policies, but real children with unlimited potential. Too often, narratives of failure and deficiency dominate discussions about public education, especially in communities of color. We must relentlessly highlight the brilliance, creativity and resilience of students, while honestly confronting the systemic barriers they face.
The administration’s strategy is designed to distract, destabilize and dehumanize—but together we refuse to let that dictate our approach. While we must respond to immediate threats, our collective work remains anchored in the powerful vision and strategies we’ve been building for decades. Communities across the country are simultaneously defending vital protections while implementing transformative approaches to schooling that center belonging, equity and student well-being. By staying grounded in our values and vision, we demonstrate that even in challenging times, we can both protect hard-won progress and continue advancing toward the education system all children deserve.
