Dept of Education Rescinds Guidance, Restores Civil Rights Staff, and Releases Frozen Funds

Big news out of Washington this week: the Department of Education has officially rescinded its 2015 guidance on how schools provide services to English language learners. This affects more than five million students nationwide who rely on targeted support to succeed in classrooms where English isn’t their first language. In a statement to ABC News, the department said the old guidance was “overly prescriptive” and that states are “best equipped to determine how best to educate these students while following all applicable federal laws.” Advocates worry this could reduce federal oversight and potentially open the door to inconsistent support—or even discrimination—for English learners, but the department maintains that core resources and state curricula remain unchanged. The directive is being characterized as part of the administration’s broader push to return more decision-making to the states, highlighted by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s nationwide tour focused on local control. Meanwhile, following a summer of uncertainty for school budgets, the Department has announced it is releasing billions in federal education funds that had been frozen since July. These funds, crucial for professional development, English language learner programs, and after-school services, had schools and districts pausing hiring and delaying new initiatives. The freeze sent shockwaves through administrative offices and forced districts to put intervention and enrichment programs on hold. The department now says all administrative obstacles have been cleared, funds are flowing to states, and local education leaders are encouraged to be agile and keep a close eye on funding timelines. On the regulatory front, the department is also facing a court-ordered reversal: more than 260 staff members from the Office for Civil Rights, cut earlier this year, are slated to return between now and early November. This move comes after a federal judge ordered the Department of Education restored to “status quo” to enforce civil rights statutes in schools. The department has been paying roughly $1 million weekly to keep these staffers on administrative leave, so their return should bring back federal capacity for complaint investigation and enforcement. Advocacy groups like the Education Trust note that this isn’t just an internal reshuffling—it directly affects how timely and robustly the government can respond to civil rights issues in education. Leadership is continuing to pivot on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies—or DEI. On the higher education front, the administration is directing colleges and universities to submit admissions data to the federal government in an effort to increase transparency and monitor for unlawful practices related to race in admissions, as outlined in President Trump’s recent memorandum. This means institutions can expect closer scrutiny in the coming academic year, with new deadlines for federal reporting already in the Federal Registe This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.