Education Department plans to move special education and civil rights oversight to other parts of the federal government, report says

The U.S. Department of Education plans to shuffle responsibility for special education oversight and civil-rights functions out of the department and into other parts of the federal government, according to a report by The Washington Times published June 16. The change is described as part of President Donald Trump’s broader push to restructure the department.

The report characterizes the move as a transfer of key Education Department work, including oversight related to special education services and civil-rights responsibilities, which are typically carried out through department divisions and offices focused on disability education and civil-rights compliance. The Education Department would, under the plan described by the report, reduce or eliminate those internal units by moving them to other federal entities.

The Washington Times report also frames the action within a larger effort to “shutter the department,” an assertion stated in connection with the administration’s restructuring goals. As described in the reporting, the practical effect would be that civil-rights and special education compliance activities would be handled by agencies other than the Education Department once implementation is complete.

Federal civil-rights compliance and special education oversight involve processes that generally include receipt and review of complaints, monitoring of compliance with federal requirements, and application of enforcement authorities through investigations and administrative procedures. The report does not, in the information provided here, specify whether the transfer would change the underlying statutory obligations on states and school districts, or how enforcement timelines and case-handling procedures would be adjusted during the transition.

The department’s reorganization would also raise administrative questions about where responsibilities would be housed, how staff and budgets would be reassigned, and which entities would issue future guidance or decisions tied to civil-rights and disability-related education. The reported changes would need to be carried out through internal executive branch authorities and operational planning, with any major legal adjustments typically requiring additional steps such as rulemaking or statutory changes, depending on how authority is currently allocated by law.

Because the full text of any orders, memorandums, or implementing documents was not provided in the reporting included for this draft, key implementation details are not confirmed here, including specific office names, the exact receiving agencies, and any schedule for when functions would begin operating outside the Department of Education. The Education Department and the relevant agencies would be expected to publish transition information or procedural guidance if the plan proceeds.