The U.S. Department of Education has scrapped decades-old rules that held institutions accountable for unintentional discrimination, even when statistical data revealed unequal treatment. The move targets policies rooted in the concept of "disparate impact," which allowed legal challenges against practices that disproportionately affected protected groups. Critics argue the change weakens protections against systemic bias in education, while supporters claim it reduces burdensome legal risks for schools and programs. The decision reverses long-standing interpretations of civil rights laws in federal education enforcement.
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 ...
