U.S. Department of Education Reorganization Puts Civil Rights and Students with Disabilities at Risk
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced plans to transfer the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to the Department of Health and Human Services. This is another misguided and dangerous attempt towards dismantling ED and weakening the federal government's commitment to educational equity and student well-being. These offices provide specialized expertise, oversight, and enforcement that ensure students facing discrimination and students with disabilities continue to be protected and receive the supports they need to thrive.
John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing justice – AAJC said: “The movement of these critical offices out of the Department of Education would have significant consequences for Asian American communities. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is responsible for investigating violations of civil rights laws for students in public schools. Transferring OCR, which has already lost half of its staff, to an already understaffed DOJ and a system that is not designed to provide the same level of support for students, families, and schools would reduce accountability, create inefficiencies, and make it harder for students to receive appropriate and timely responses and guidance.
"Given that 8 percent of Asian American students and 12 percent of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students in public schools receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the transfer of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has tremendous impact on our communities who also navigate language barriers and cultural stigma when seeking special education evaluations and support. Dedicated educational expertise and coordinated supports that students receive from ED are critical to meeting the needs of our communities.
"Protecting the educational rights of students facing discrimination and students with disabilities is the responsibility of the Department of Education, as Congress intended, and where generations of students and families have relied on dedicated expertise to ensure their rights are met. Recklessly transferring offices using inter-agency agreements would not simply reorganize government but would weaken longstanding protections that help students and their families access the opportunities they deserve.”
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