The U.S. Department of Education has scrapped long-standing rules that held institutions accountable for unintentional discrimination, even when statistical patterns revealed unequal treatment. The move reverses decades-old protections tied to the concept of disparate impact, which allowed claims of bias to be pursued without proving intentional wrongdoing. Critics argue the change weakens safeguards against systemic inequities in education, while supporters say it reduces burdensome legal risks for schools and lenders. The decision marks a significant shift in how discrimination cases are evaluated under federal civil rights law.
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 ...
