The decision by Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education has significant implications for children, families, and communities. When students experience violence, harassment, or discrimination, they or their families can file a complaint with this department, which is responsible for investigating and addressing these issues.
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For instance, if a school discriminates against a student with a disability, it may not be classified as a crime, but it does violate federal law, warranting intervention from the Department of Education.
Parents and students have been raising concerns about sexual harassment, assault, violence, and discrimination, yet the Trump administration has reportedly failed to address these issues.
A report released by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is the Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, indicates that the Trump administration has ceased enforcing federal laws designed to protect students.
The report reveals:
Since taking office, President Trump has illegally ordered the dismantling of the Department of Education, causing severe repercussions for students, educational institutions, and universities nationwide. The most evident consequences have occurred in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), a federal agency dedicated to protecting students from discrimination.
In March 2025, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon terminated 299 out of 575 OCR staff members and closed 7 out of 12 regional civil rights offices. Despite court interventions that forced the administration to reverse these actions, the damage was irreversible. OCR has not fully recovered, leaving thousands of students facing discrimination without assistance, answers, or justice.
OCR plays a crucial role in ensuring students’ civil rights are protected. It is the agency that parents contact when a child with a disability is denied proper education, when schools fail to address sexual harassment, or when students endure racial, antisemitic, Islamophobic, or other forms of discrimination.
Congress established OCR to uphold the federal government’s responsibility to protect the civil rights of every American student. This commitment extends to the 65.3 million students enrolled in schools and universities across the nation.
Many of those left unprotected by the current administration are children. The consequences of these policies are profoundly damaging.
