The federal government is shifting oversight of the country’s special education programs and school civil rights enforcement from the Department of Education to other agencies, marking a significant restructuring of how these critical protections are administered. The move raises questions about accountability and consistency as key responsibilities—including compliance with disability rights and anti-discrimination policies—are redistributed across the government. Advocates warn that decentralizing enforcement could create gaps in monitoring for students with disabilities and marginalized groups. Details on which agencies will take on these roles and how the transition will be managed remain unclear.
The U.S. Department of Education has begun outsourcing responsibility for overseeing the nation’s sprawling special education system and enforcing civil rights law in schools to other federal agencies ...
