Washington – The federal office that enforces civil rights in the US schools. anti -Semitism Above all, since President Donald Trump is molded to the agenda, which increases the fear that other rights violations are unpunished.
The new Trump leader of the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education told the staff this week that the complaints that involve anti -Semitism are expected to aggressively and are closely found with Trump’s wishes, according to sources that were in the call with Craig Trainor, Undersecretary of Interferential Civil Rights. .
There are already signs of a hard turn in the application of civil rights, including the new actions centered directly on the Anti -Jewish bias and Transgender problems.
Responding to a White House order last week, the office launched new anti -Semitism research in five universities, including Columbia and Northwestern. Days before, it opened A consultation In Denver’s public schools on a gender bath that replaced a girl’s bath while leaving another exclusive for children. On Wednesday, Trump ordered schools that receive federal money to Prohibit transgender girls Since participating in women’s sports, promising that the Department of Education would investigate schools and schools that do not meet.
The office fleet of the office has been set aside, while the new administration changes priorities. The daily work has frozen, which is typical when a new president assumes the position, but the sources say that there is a new blackout on communication with schools, universities or those who present complaints. Questions about how to enforce the title IX did not answer, leaving schools in the dark while navigating a New memorandum of the agency last week.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
In the call call, Trainor said the office must be more aggressive and faster than was under former President Joe Biden. He accused the previous administration of neglecting his duty to combat anti -Semitism, leaving more than 100 open cases. Trump has requested a review of all cases of anti -Semitism inaugurated from Hamas to Israel’s attack on October 7, 2023, including THE RESOLVED LOW BIDEN.
With a rigid approach in anti -Semitism and gender identity, there is fear that the office does not pay adequate attention to racial discriminationDisability or Islamophobia -based abuse. The office is required to process all complaints in the fields, but politics can play a role in establishing priorities and choosing what cases follow.
Raymond Pierce, who led the office under Democratic President Bill Clinton, said that focusing only on anti -Semitism does not comply with the office mission, to enforce civil rights laws.
“Anti -Semitism is a problem,” he said. “But the Civil Rights Law is broader than only religion.”
In a statement, Trainor promised that his office “will strongly investigate all the alleged violations of civil rights laws within their reach.”
Trainor had also warned the staff of an upcoming “restructuring” and acknowledged that Elon Musk’s call Government Efficiency Department It is examining the Department of Education. He raised concerns about staff cuts in a civil rights office that has seen reducing numbers, even when he received a record of 22,687 complaints last year.
In addition, there is Trump concern in your Search to close the Education Department It will reduce the office budget and transfer it to the Department of Justice, as suggested in the 2025 project plan created by the conservative Heritage Foundation.
According to lawyers and defenders, the impact of Trump changes is more likely by lawyers and defenders. For decades, the civil rights office has worked to force the same access for marginalized students, said Derek W. Black, a law professor at the South Carolina University.
If the office finds merit in a complaint, it has the power to retain federal funds until schools or states comply.
“Are there local and state officials who want to do the correct ones of children? Of course, there is, ”said Black. “But there are districts that do not think it is a big problem or do not want to do the right thing for poor children? Unfortunately, there is. “
Historically, most complaints to the department have involved Disability discriminationBut last year the accusations of sexual discrimination increased to represent more than half of all complaints, according to an annual report. Disability discrimination represented 37%, while discrimination over breed or national origin represented 19%.
In addition to its duty to investigate complaints, the office creates federal rules to interpret Federal Law for Schools and Universities. That role has been at the center of a political warpage of war on Title IXWith recent administrations that repeatedly rewritten the rules governing research in inappropriate sexual behavior of the campus.
The Biden Administration issued New rules Last year, expanding the title IX to protect transgender and LGBTQ+students, and increase the rights of victims. A federal judge He overturned the rules In January, returning to an previous set of rules of Trump’s first mandate.
In a memorandum to schools and schools last week, the civil rights office emphasized that Trump’s previous rules would apply, but created confusion about how to manage the cases that opened when the Biden rules were in force. Without communication from the department, there has been little clarity for schools.
There are also questions about how anti -Semitism research will change. Trump has used a heated rhetoric to boost a more aggressive action against universities that was discovered that he tolerated anti -Semitism, and Trainor criticized the Biden administration for signing agreements “without teeth” to resolve cases. A new guide has not been issued to lawyers investigating cases.
While the office expects orders to resume their work, it faces a growing accumulation of complaints.
Before Trump assumed the position, there were more than 140 open investigations that involved shared ancestry, many of them dealing with anti -Semitism or Islamophobia. The Biden administration opened more than 100 investigations after October 7, 2023. A wave of schools reached agreements to resolve cases before Trump assumed the position amid fears that he would issue heavier sanctions.
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