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12h ago

Education Department Temporarily Recalls Up to 250 Civil Rights Staff to Tackle Complaint Backlog

Officials say the short-term return aims to clear cases during unresolved court challenges to reduction-in-force actions.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20, 2025.
FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Overview

  • Agency notices direct roughly 247 to 250 Office for Civil Rights employees on administrative leave to report back starting Dec. 15.
  • Department officials characterize the move as temporary and say they will continue to defend and appeal the contested layoffs.
  • After the funding deal paused shutdown-related reductions, Education rescinded 136 October RIF notices but maintained 247 earlier cuts at issue in ongoing litigation.
  • A U.S. district judge granted an injunction blocking RIFs at the State Department in a related case, highlighting legal headwinds to separations across agencies.
  • The OCR caseload has climbed past 25,000 discrimination complaints as staffing fell, with the department’s workforce reduced to about half its 2017 level, according to department data reported by the AP.