Civil rights and special education offices gutted under Trump’s cuts: Is dismantling federal education support a path to reform or regression? – The Times of India

Hundreds of employees at the US Department of Education have been dismissed in a new wave of layoffs under President Donald Trump’s administration. About 466 workers were let go since Friday, significantly reducing staff across key divisions responsible for civil rights enforcement and support for students with disabilities.The layoffs follow earlier cuts in March, when the department lost nearly half its workforce. The latest round targets roughly one-fifth of the remaining employees and affects offices overseeing billions in federal funding for vulnerable student populations.Special education office sees 95 percent staff reductionThe Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which monitors services for around 10 percent of US school-aged children, was among the hardest hit. According to internal department sources cited by The New York Times, the office now has fewer than six employees, down 95 percent since the start of the year.OSEP plays a central role in ensuring states comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law passed by Congress in 1975 mandating free and appropriate education for students with disabilities. Former deputy assistant secretary Katy Neas said that the law was introduced because states historically failed to serve these students effectively. Neas, now head of the Arc of the United States, told The New York Times that the department’s role was essential in enforcing IDEA requirements.Civil rights enforcement capacity halved againThe Office for Civil Rights, responsible for investigating school discrimination complaints, has also experienced major cuts. The New York Times reported that the office began the year with 12 regional sites, which were cut in half by March. Following the latest layoffs, only one or two regional offices may remain.In 2024, the office received over 22,600 discrimination complaints, more than double the number recorded five years earlier. With further staff reductions imminent, civil rights oversight may be significantly diminished.Funding oversight for low-income students disruptedThe Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, which administers Title I funding for low-income students, has also been affected. Employees overseeing these funds were among those dismissed. Title I represents the largest source of federal support for school districts, and the layoffs may hinder oversight.Other dismissed staff included employees supporting historically Black colleges, tribal universities, and charter schools — areas President Trump has previously pledged to prioritise.Layoffs linked to political strategy and shutdown falloutThe Trump administration has not provided detailed information about which roles were eliminated. According to The New York Times, the White House Office of Management and Budget confirmed 466 Education Department layoffs as part of over 4,000 federal firings, which officials described as retaliation against Democrats following a government shutdown.Union representatives have condemned the move and filed lawsuits. Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252, which represents Education Department staff, told The New York Times, “If you are a kid in America, regardless of where you live or what your capabilities are… you are going to be affected by these cuts.”As reported by The New York Times, individual notices were sent to official government email accounts, though employees were previously instructed not to check them during the shutdown. The administration later allowed access, but many workers distrusted the process and declined to log in.Statutory requirements under threat amid agency restructuringCurrent US law mandates that the Education Department maintain offices to oversee special education, civil rights, and elementary and secondary education. Josie Eskow Skinner, a former department lawyer laid off earlier in 2024, said the agency cannot carry out its legal obligations with its current staffing level, as quoted by The New York Times.Denise Forte, president of EdTrust, told The New York Times that the scale of the cuts appeared to be a deliberate move to sidestep congressional requirements, describing them as part of an effort to implement the “Project 2025” agenda, which seeks to dismantle the federal role in education.Only the office of Federal Student Aid, which handles college loan programmes, appears to have been largely spared.