Education Department Asks Laid-Off Staff to Aid in School Discrimination Cases
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The U.S. Department of Education has asked hundreds of laid-off employees to temporarily return to work in order to handle a backlog of school discrimination cases. The move impacts around 250 workers that have been on administrative leave for months amid legal challenges to their firings in March. This comes amid attempts by the Trump administration to dismantle the Education Department, reducing its size and laying off many of its staff members.
U.S. Department of Education Dismantled Further with Latest Changes
In light of a backlog of school discrimination cases, the U.S. Department of Education has asked laid-off employees to return temporarily to alleviate the load. The agency released a Dec. 5 email which revealed plans to re-employ a sizeable chunk of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) later this month to tackle the substantial caseload of civil rights complaints.
This move applies to approximately 250 staff who’ve been on leave following their March layoffs. Julie Hartman, Education Department’s spokesperson for legal affairs, emphasized that there’s still no intent to permanently rehire these workers.
The OCR enforces anti-discrimination laws, making it a crucial agency for students with disabilities or families unable to bear the cost of lawsuits against school districts or universities. However, the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the Education Department have severely diminished the agency.
The OCR, much reduced from its original size, has laid off hundreds of staff and closed regional divisions in Philadelphia and Boston. Out of the 450 people listed as OCR employees, only about 60 haven’t received layoff notices over the past year.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s decision to utilize her laid-off workforce reveals deeper struggles within the agency in fulfilling its legally mandated duties. Since the department’s downsizing, families awaiting resolutions to their civil rights complaints have been in limbo, while colleges have also reported problems with the federal financial aid system.
McMahon unveiled plans in November to offload the department’s responsibilities to other agencies, causing concern over potential disruptions to key programs. She insists that this change will streamline the federal government’s limited role in the education system.
Connect with congressional reporter Zachary Schermele at zschermele@usatoday.com or through X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
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