Trump Shifts School Civil Rights to DOJ, Special Education to HHS in Education Department Breakup
Updated
Updated · Chalkbeat · Jun 16
Trump Shifts School Civil Rights to DOJ, Special Education to HHS in Education Department Breakup
3 articles · Updated · Chalkbeat · Jun 16
Summary
Tuesday’s reorganization moves the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to the Justice Department and special education oversight to Health and Human Services through interagency agreements, without new congressional approval.
Administration officials said the shift will improve federal oversight and service coordination, and said they plan to seek roughly $500 million more for special education funding.
Disability and education advocates warned HHS lacks the right education focus and said moving civil rights enforcement from Education could weaken a practice-centered approach that pushed school districts to change policies.
Legal and operational questions remain because federal law places IDEA oversight and civil rights enforcement in the Education Department, while recent budget laws keep IDEA funds under its control.
The move advances Trump’s long-running effort to dismantle the Education Department and mirrors Project 2025 proposals, after OCR had already been cut, seven of 12 regional offices closed, and more than 9,000 complaints logged.