Education Department’s Civil Rights Enforcement Slows Under Trump, Records Show
Records obtained through a lawsuit show the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has sharply reduced new investigations under President Donald Trump. The office averaged about 100 new investigations a month from January 2025 through July 2026, down from about 310 a month in 2024. It also stopped publishing a public list of schools under investigation and the allegations involved, and the newsroom released searchable case data.
ProPublica obtained internal case records after suing the Education Department, then released a searchable database covering complaints and investigations from January 2025 through July 2026. The Office for Civil Rights opened 1,839 investigations in that period, roughly 100 monthly, compared with about 310 monthly in 2024.
Sexual-violence complaints showed a steeper gap: more than 200 were filed, but only 29 led to investigations and just one school district was faulted. The office normally opens at least 60 such investigations annually. Public attention had focused on Cornell University’s handling of a 2024 gang-rape report.
The slowdown could affect students and families who rely on federal civil rights complaints, especially those alleging sexual violence or disability and race discrimination, by making reviews less predictable and potentially slower. Schools and colleges may face less external scrutiny, which could alter how institutions handle complaints and records. Because the office also stopped publishing its investigation list, parents, advocates and researchers may have less routine information for assessing whether complaints are being addressed, though the released database may partly restore public visibility.