Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released a report highlighting the impacts of recent firings at the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on students who rely on OCR to carry out statutory requirements to investigate and protect their civil rights. According to the report, after actions taken by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to eliminate over 240 positions and close more than half of OCR’s regional offices, more than 46 million students in 27 States and territories have been left without civil rights investigators to investigate their complaints; and, OCR political appointees have not provided any public communications to students or families about the plan to resolve their open cases. Data provided shows that fired staff were working on 6,896 cases, leaving thousands of students in potentially unsafe learning environments—or out of school entirely—and without any clear plan for resolution. Caseloads for remaining investigators are expected to increase by more than 200 percent.
Administration Rescinds Access to Education Services for Undocumented Children
In a sharp departure from previous federal guidelines, the Administration has announced its intention to roll back eligibility for domestic assistance programs for children and families who are undocumented. Specific to education and citing Executive Order...
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