Education Department Moves Special Ed. and Civil Rights to Other Agencies

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 protections are administered. This move could reshape accountability for students with disabilities and minority groups in public schools, as key compliance and monitoring duties are redistributed across the government. Critics may question whether the transition will maintain the same level of scrutiny, while supporters argue it could streamline enforcement efforts. The change reflects broader efforts to reallocate federal education responsibilities amid ongoing policy debates.

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 ...