When Rebecca, a 48-year-old mother from Michigan, urgently needed assistance for her disabled son, she turned to the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Her 13-year-old adopted son suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome, ADHD, and various other mental health challenges that necessitate specialized educational support. The situation escalated when he, exhibiting symptoms that can sometimes include aggression towards others, received multiple suspensions last fall due to behavioral outbursts.
Rebecca described a situation where the school district isolated her son from his peers for months, providing him with limited interaction, solely from special education teachers. In hindsight, the lack of proper educational engagement became alarming. In October 2024, Rebecca formally filed a complaint with the OCR, asserting that the school violated federal disability law by discriminating against her son and denying him a free, appropriate public education. She reported that this discrimination took the form of excessively limiting his school hours, initially confining his attendance to only two hours per day in a 1:1 segregated setting, which she detailed was wholly inadequate. While the district gradually reinstated additional hours, isolation was still a significant concern.
However, as Rebecca awaited potential mediation facilitated by the OCR, an unexpected upheaval occurred: the Trump administration dismissed the entire staff in the Cleveland office, including the attorney who had been guiding her case. "I don't have any other option for this kid," said Rebecca, who requested anonymity to ensure her son's privacy remains protected. "They're playing politics with my little boy. And I don't think that's fair." The abrupt firings and ensuing chaos were precursors to President Donald Trump's larger initiative to downsize the Department of Education entirely.
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to initiate the process to “facilitate the closure” of the department. This order is unlikely to fully dismantle the agency since Congress—rather than the president—retains the ultimate authority to dissolve a federal agency. Yet, the move has undeniably instilled uncertainty among many Americans, particularly parents like Rebecca, about the educational prospects of their children. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that while the department would not fully be disbanded, its functions would be significantly reduced, focusing primarily on “critical functions” such as managing federal student loans.
Significantly, the OCR stands to undergo a major scaling back as well. The Trump administration’s initial cuts included a reduction in force on March 11, 2025, that halved the department's staffing levels. McMahon claimed this reduction represented a “commitment to efficiency and accountability,” assuring that resources are directed where they matter: to students, parents, and teachers.
The Office for Civil Rights has been particularly affected by these significant staff losses. The administration shuttered seven of the 12 regional offices nationwide, affecting major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco, intensifying concerns about inadequate support against discrimination across educational institutions.
As Rebecca's family grapples with the repercussions of these changes, they are not alone. The OCR reported a record 22,687 complaints filed in fiscal year 2024, reflecting a glaring need for oversight and action concerning educational rights violations. However, this necessity coincides with an alarming reduction in staff, which has faltered over recent years. OCR's employee headcount plummeted from 1,100 in 1981 to just 588 by 2024, as resources became increasingly strained. It raises questions about how cases—especially those involving bullying, discrimination, or other complex matters—will be addressed moving forward.
Nikki Carter, a mother and disability advocate based in Alabama, is one of two plaintiffs in an active lawsuit against the Department of Education, Secretary McMahon, and Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights. Carter's own case of alleged racial discrimination, lodged back in December 2022 during the Biden administration, has since gone unaddressed amid the ongoing mismanagement and delays. The lawsuit posits that the changes enacted by McMahon and Trainor have stalled her case, preventing any resolution or action.
"There was a lack of communication throughout the entirety of the process," Carter expressed. "When the Trump administration came in, it made that situation even worse and even more difficult.” Her sentiments are echoed by many whose cases remain unresolved amid the OCR's ongoing backlog and administrative tumult.
Despite previous frustrations with the OCR's operations, Carter emphasized that the office's function remains essential for advocating against racial discrimination. Her hope is that the lawsuit could not only restore the office but also lead to improvements to better serve its constituents. “We need OCR to go back to work and be accountable for their actions—or lack thereof,” she stated firmly.
In response to her son's educational challenges, Rebecca has now opted to transfer him to a district school better equipped to cater to students with emotional impairments. Nevertheless, she is still adamant that the OCR intervene in negotiating special tutoring arrangements and help the district staff better understand how to assist students with such challenges. Recently, she learned that her son's case would be transferred to the operating office in Denver but has received no additional updates since then.
"He was treated so poorly and differently because of the way his brain was structured," she reflected on her son's experience in the educational system. “I want to see somebody held accountable for the way he was treated.” Although the future of the Department of Education remains uncertain with ongoing cuts and staff reductions, there stands a determined cohort of parents, educators, and advocates willing to fight for substantive change and to ensure that all students, including those like Rebecca's son, receive the education and support they deserve.
