WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The Education Department鈥檚 civil rights branch is losing nearly half its staff in the Trump administration鈥檚 layoffs, leading to the closure of the DOE civil rights office in Dallas. The closure also leaves a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families in limbo.
Among a total of more than announced Tuesday were roughly 240 in the department鈥檚 Office for Civil Rights, according to a list obtained and verified by The Associated Press. Seven of the civil rights agency's 12 regional offices were entirely laid off, including busy hubs in New York, Chicago and Dallas. Despite assurances that the department's work will continue unaffected, huge numbers of cases appear to be in limbo.
The Trump administration has not said how it will proceed with thousands of cases being handled by staff it's eliminating. The cases involve families trying to get school services for , allegations of bias related to race and , and complaints over at schools and college campuses.
Some staffers who remain said there's no way to pick up all of their fired colleagues鈥� cases. Many were already struggling to keep pace with their own caseloads. With fewer than 300 workers, families likely will be waiting on resolution for years, they said.
鈥淚 fear they won鈥檛 get their calls answered, their complaints won鈥檛 move,鈥� said Michael Pillera, a senior civil rights attorney for the Office for Civil Rights. 鈥淚 truly don鈥檛 understand how a handful of offices could handle the entire country.鈥�
Department officials insisted the cuts will not affect civil rights investigations. The reductions were 鈥渟trategic decisions," spokesperson Madison Biedermann.
鈥淥CR will be able to deliver the work,鈥� Biedermann said. 鈥淚t will have to look different, and we know that.鈥�
The layoffs are part of a directed by President Donald Trump as he moves to reduce the footprint of the federal government.
Trump has pushed for a of the Education Department, calling it a 鈥渃on job鈥� and saying its power should be turned over to states. On Wednesday he told reporters many agency employees 鈥渄on鈥檛 work at all.鈥� Responding to the layoffs, he said his administration is 鈥渒eeping the best ones.鈥�
After the cuts, the Office for Civil Rights will only have workers in Washington and five regional offices, which traditionally take the lead on investigating complaints and mediating resolutions with schools and colleges. Buildings are being closed and staff laid off in Dallas, Chicago, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Many lawyers at the New York City office were juggling 80 or more cases, said one staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear for reprisals. The branch often mediated cases with New York City schools, the nation鈥檚 largest district, and its lawyers were handling a high-profile at Columbia University 鈥� a priority for President Donald Trump.
The staffer described several pending cases involving students with disabilities who are wrongly being kept out of school because of behavioral issues. With limited oversight from the office, they said, school districts will be less likely to comply with legal requirements.
Pillera, who had said before the cuts that he was leaving the department, said it's unclear how complaints will be investigated in areas that no longer have offices.
鈥淲e have to physically go to schools,鈥� Pillera said. 鈥淲e have to look at the playground to see if it鈥檚 accessible for kids with disabilities. We have to measure doorways and bathrooms to see if everything is accessible for kids with disabilities.鈥�
Even before the layoffs, the civil rights office had been losing staff even as complaints rose to record levels. The workforce had fallen below 600 staffers before Trump took office, and they faced nearly 23,000 complaints filed last year, more than ever.
Trump officials on most cases when they arrived at the department, adding to the backlog. When Education Secretary Linda McMahon lifted the freeze last week, there were more than 20,000 pending cases.
Historically, most of the office鈥檚 work deals with disability rights cases, but it has fielded growing numbers of complaints alleging discrimination based on sex or race. It has also played a prominent role in investigating complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia amid the Israel-Hamas war and a wave of campus demonstrations that spread across the country last year.
Craig Trainor, Trump鈥檚 appointee over the office, directed staff to focus on antisemitism cases as a top priority last week. In a memo, he accused former President Joe Biden of failing to hold colleges accountable and promised tougher action against violators.
At her , McMahon said the goal is not to defund key programs but to make them operate more efficiently. She vowed to uphold the agency鈥檚 civil rights work but said it might fit better being moved to the Justice Department.
An email the Education Department sent to all staff after the layoffs said there will need to be significant changes to how they work.
鈥淲hat we choose to prioritize, and in turn, not prioritize, will be critical in this transition,鈥� the message said.