For students with disabilities, the Office for Civil Rights is often the last line of defense (OPINION)

by kids1stadvocac | Jan 27, 2026 | Federal

K-12 Dive The path to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education will have a generational impact — eliminating the safeguards that have ensured all students have access to equitable, inclusive schools since the department’s founding in 1979. Specifically, the recent...

The inside view of McMahon’s plans for special education

by kids1stadvocac | Jan 6, 2026 | Federal

POLITICO Disability advocates alarmed by the Trump administration’s plans for special education say a recent meeting with Education Secretary Linda McMahon did not alleviate what one participant described as “grave concern.” McMahon and Assistant Secretary for Civil...

‘A shifting system’: concerns over students’ civil rights rise as DoJ changes priorities

by kids1stadvocac | Jan 6, 2026 | Federal

The Guardian Within the justice department’s civil rights division is a small office devoted to educational issues, including seclusion, as well as desegregation and racial harassment. The division intentionally chooses cases with potential for high impact and...

Why tracking racial disparities in special education still matters

by kids1stadvocac | Jan 6, 2026 | Federal

The Michigan Chronicle Classrooms should be places of opportunity, not obstacles. But for many students with disabilities, especially students of color and English learners, school often reinforces the inequities it’s supposed to erase. Black students, for example,...

Ed Department recalls staffers who handle complaints from students with disabilities

by kids1stadvocac | Dec 16, 2025 | Federal

Disability Scoop The U.S. Department of Education is bringing back hundreds of staffers to tackle a backlog of civil rights cases — including complaints of disability discrimination in schools — after keeping them on administrative leave for most of the year. More...