Education Department dismisses thousands of civil rights complaints at an 'unheard of' pace
Source: Politico
07/08/2025 10:00 AM EDT
The Education Department dismissed civil rights complaints at such a rapid clip this year that former officials and advocates are concerned about a core agency function amid Trump administration plans to make deep staffing cuts.
In court documents filed last week, the department disclosed that its Office for Civil Rights dismissed 3,424 complaints between March 11 and June 27 “consistent with OCR’s Case Processing Manual.” The documents state that 96 complaints were “resolved” because of insufficient evidence during an investigation — and another 290 complaints with voluntary agreements, settlements or technical assistance.
During that time period, OCR received 4,833 complaints, opened 309 for investigation and opened 26 directed investigations, according to a court declaration filed as part of a case that challenged the agency’s decision to conduct a sweeping reduction in force. Unlike most investigations, directed or self-initiated investigations are launched by the agency without someone filing a formal complaint about a school, college or university.
“The nation’s students and schools deserve a robust federal civil rights enforcement office that is fully equipped and prepared to enforce the full range of rights Congress guaranteed in law,” Catherine Lhamon, the department’s civil rights chief under former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, said in a statement to POLITICO. “The Trump Administration’s own data reporting shows it has decimated its ability to fulfill its statutory duties, to the detriment of rights in school.”
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/education-departments-civil-rights-complaint-dismissals-prompt-concern-from-trump-opponents-00439118
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Another example of how truly f6cked we are. 
