Education Civil Rights Advocates Fear “Horror Show” Under Trump
The office launched a data-driven campaign to prevent school districts from meting out harsher discipline to black and Latino students than to their white counterparts. It took on campus sexual assault as a federal civil rights issue, forcing colleges to more closely track rapes and sexual assaults and revamp their legal procedures for addressing them. It instructed public schools to treat transgender students consistent with their identity. And it waged battle after battle in individual school districts, such as one that resulted in a settlement this August that forced the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools to improve the education in its alternative schools.
But now, with the election of Donald J. Trump and his Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos, many officials in the office fear much of what they see as progress could come to a halt.
Trump has publicly said that he would either dismantle or cut the Department of Education by “a lot.” Many conservatives believe the agency has gone too far in pushing a progressive federal agenda on local community schools. At least one Trump surrogate has suggested the Office of Civil Rights is no longer needed, calling it “self-perpetuating absolute nonsense.”
Earlier this month at an event meant as a celebration of its accomplishments over the past eight years, many speakers couldn’t help but make ominous — and repeated — remarks about the recent presidential election.
“We’ve got some tough times ahead but we are up to it,” said Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, during opening remarks. Edelman was once a mentor and boss to Democratic presidential candidate Education Civil Rights Advocates Fear "Horror Show" Under Trump - BuzzFeed News:
