The U.S. Department of Education has scrapped decades-old rules that held institutions accountable for unintentional discrimination when statistical patterns revealed unequal treatment, even without explicit bias. The move reverses long-standing protections under disparate impact policies, which allowed for legal challenges when practices disproportionately affected certain groups. Critics argue the change weakens safeguards against systemic inequities, while supporters claim it reduces regulatory burdens on schools and programs. Legal experts warn the decision could reshape civil rights enforcement in education.
The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday eliminated regulations going back more than 60 years that recognized liability for disparate impact, such as when statistics demonstrate a discriminatory ...
