Civil Rights

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events. Two federal agencies have found Maine in violation of Title IX for its defiance of that executive order.
Alex Brandon/AP
States Trump Admin. Gives Maine 10 Days to Bar Trans Athletes—or Risk School Funding
The finding of a Title IX violation is a test case of the president's use of federal funds as a cudgel for compliance with executive orders.
Brooke Schultz, March 19, 2025
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6 min read
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington on Dec. 14, 2017. Parents are suing the department over the firing of its office for civil rights staff, arguing that the layoffs will stifle civil rights investigations.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
Law & Courts Parents Sue Ed. Dept. Over Civil Rights Office Layoffs and Delays
The lawsuit argues that the mass layoffs leave students and families with little recourse for discrimination complaints.
Brooke Schultz, March 14, 2025
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4 min read
Deeper learning prepares students to work collaboratively and direct their own learning.
There has been an uptick in political pushback against social-emotional learning, with the Education Department recently saying some schools "have sought to veil discriminatory policies" with terms like SEL.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Federal Ed. Dept. Says SEL Can 'Veil' Discrimination. What Does This Mean for Schools?
A document from the Education Department flags social-emotional learning—a once bipartisan education strategy—as a means of discrimination.
Jennifer Vilcarino & Arianna Prothero, March 13, 2025
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9 min read
Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington.
Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. The department this week said it was cutting nearly half its staff.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Civil Rights, Research, and More: What’s Hit Hardest by Massive Ed. Dept. Cuts
An analysis of the Trump administration's cuts to the agency shows its civil rights enforcement and research arms are hit particularly hard.
Brooke Schultz, Mark Lieberman, Sarah Schwartz, Ileana Najarro & Matthew Stone, March 12, 2025
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17 min read
Student protesters gather inside their encampment on Columbia University campus on April 29, 2024.
Student protesters gather inside an encampment on the Columbia University campus on April 29, 2024. The federal government has terminated $400 million in funds to the Ivy League university although investigations into alleged antisemitic harassment are continuing.
Stefan Jeremiah/AP
Education Funding Trump Axed $400M in Funds for Columbia. Could a School District Be Next?
One legal expert described the move as arbitrary: “How can you predict what arbitrary punishment may come your way?"
Brooke Schultz, March 11, 2025
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7 min read
Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address on Jan. 30, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found Maine had violated Title IX just four days after Mills told President Donald Trump that she would see him in court over the state's refusal to comply with an executive order seeking to bar transgender girls from girls' sports.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
States Does Title IX Exclude Trans Girls? A State's Defiance of Trump Could Produce an Answer
Maine is the subject of three federal probes after its governor told Trump, "we'll see you in court," over transgender athletes.
Brooke Schultz, March 7, 2025
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7 min read
Image of puzzle pieces representing gender and inclusion.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Will Trump Follow Through on His Threats to Cut School Funding?
If the administration follows the law and established precedent, the road won’t be easy.
Brooke Schultz, February 20, 2025
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8 min read
budget school funding
iStock/Getty
Federal Trump Admin. Warns Schools: End Race-Based Programs or Risk Losing Funds
A sweeping new letter from the Education Department says schools and universities should stop using race as a factor in programming.
Brooke Schultz, February 18, 2025
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6 min read
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. The department's office for civil rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws in schools, has been hamstrung by the Trump administration's goal of shrinking the agency.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump Shakeup Stops Most Work at Education Department's Civil Rights Office
President Donald Trump is downsizing a federal office that he's also using to carry out his policy agenda for schools.
Brooke Schultz, February 14, 2025
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9 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump's second week in the White House featured his first direct foray into policymaking aimed directly at schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Title IX, School Choice, ‘Indoctrination’—How Trump Took on Schools in Week 2
It was a week in which the newly inaugurated president began wholeheartedly to act on his agenda for schools.
Brooke Schultz, January 31, 2025
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8 min read
Photograph of three student engineers working on a new mechanical model. Multi-ethnic group of young people in a STEM class.
Alvarez/E+
Equity & Diversity What the Latest Civil Rights Data Show About Racial Disparities in Schools
The U.S. Department of Education released new data from 2021-22 covering students' access to STEM courses, school discipline, and more.
Ileana Najarro, January 16, 2025
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7 min read
Photo illustration of teacher using AI for grading.
iStock
Ed-Tech Policy Need Guidance on How to Avoid AI Pitfalls? New Resources Aim to Help Schools
The U.S. Department of Education has released new resources for schools on AI that include recommendations on some thorny issues.
Arianna Prothero, November 25, 2024
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4 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Can Trump Force Schools to Change Their Curricula?
Trump's bid to take money from schools that teach "critical race theory" or pass policies for transgender kids raises legal complexities.
Alyson Klein, November 14, 2024
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9 min read
Photo of teacher and blind student using braille slate.
E+
English Learners English Learners With Disabilities: The Rules Schools Have to Follow
Schools can't force English learners with disabilities to choose between special ed. and language instruction—and other tips from OCR.
Ileana Najarro, November 14, 2024
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4 min read
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