Overview

• The Obama-era 40-page Dear Colleague letter detailing districts’ duties on meaningful access and non-segregation for English learners has been pulled.
• An Education Department spokesperson said the document was withdrawn because it is not aligned with administration priorities.
• Advocates warn the rollback could lead districts to reduce services for roughly five million students who are learning English.
• A July memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi directs agencies to minimize non-essential multilingual services, cites Eighth Circuit precedent separating language from national origin, and pledges new guidance by January.
• The change follows an executive order making English the official U.S. language, deep staff cuts in the Office of English Language Acquisition, and a temporary hold on $890 million with a push to eliminate those funds next year.