Diseases in the Department of Education affect civil rights offices in Chicago and the country

The best place for news and Latin culture coverage in Chicago. | The Place for Coverage of Latino News and Culture in Chicago.

Introduction to the Issue

At least 50 employees will leave the Chicago office of the United States Department of Education, almost all due to the dismissals announced by the Trump administration, according to documents sent to the union officials of the Department of Education. The layoffs are eliminating the Chicago Civil Rights Office, one of the seven offices throughout the country where all positions are being eliminated, union officials that represents the employees of the department reported Wednesday.

Impact on Civil Rights

The office is responsible for enforcing federal laws against discrimination in schools. This will leave five offices at a time when the Department of Education faces an accumulation of complaints from students and families. Approximately 240 of the more than 1,300 layoffs announced on Tuesday were in the civil rights office, according to The Associated Press. Despite the guarantees that the department’s work will continue without being affected, a large number of cases seem to be in limbo.

Effects on Students and Families

Sheria Smith, a lawyer who was fired from the Office of Civil Rights in Texas and president of the American Federation of Local Government Employees 252, said that the office provides free legal support to families, including many parents of students with disabilities, while collaborating with school districts to comply with the law. "If you are a student … you expect to be protected by your school," Smith said in a call with journalists on Wednesday. “What this administration has done is to eliminate supervision. That is, it has eliminated the protection of American students … from Kindergarten to higher education.”

Personnel Affected

A list of personnel sent by the Department of Education to the Union names 43 unionized employees affected in Chicago. At least seven managers of a unit are not included. The list includes 27 employees of the Office of Civil Rights and 12 of Federal Student Aid, which supervises federal financial aid for the University. The workforce includes lawyers, specialists in equal opportunities, counters, financial analysts and specialists in review of credit entities.

Impact on Federal Student Aid

Regarding the impact of cuts to the Federal Student Aid Office, Smith does not believe that last year high school students receive this spring the information they need from the Department of Education to decide which universities can afford. "I just don’t understand how possible, because this administration has fired hundreds of people who carry out that work without any plan to continue the work, to continue those services," said Smith.

Reaction from Education Boards

The Illinois State Education Board (ISBE) also declared that a federal career employee informed him that the office that provides support to states that receive federal funds was reduced. He has not received any formal communication about the $ 3.56 billion in funds that the ISBE hopes to receive in the fiscal year that begins in July. "This is the amount of information available from the ISBE at this time and is deeply concerned about the possible consequences," said the ISBE in a statement.

Condemnation of the Layoffs

The union leaders condemned the dismissals. "There is a tsunami that comes from Washington for all children in this state and the country," Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Masters Federation, said Wednesday. "It’s not about efficiency … It is the destruction of the Department of Education because this administration in Washington wants to grant huge tax exemptions to billionaires." Al Llorens, president of the Illinois Education Association, said the possible impact on special education students. The Department of Education provides key supervision for services and financing of special education.

Future of Civil Rights Cases

The Trump administration has not said how it will proceed with the thousands of cases of the Office of Civil Rights that manages the personnel that are eliminating. The cases involve families trying to obtain school services for students with disabilities, accusations of racial and religious prejudices, and allegations of sexual violence in schools and university campuses. Some employees who remain in office said there is no way to address all the cases of their fired colleagues. Many already had difficulty following the rhythm of their own workload. With less than 300 workers, families will probably wait years to obtain a resolution, they said.

Conclusion

The layoffs in the Department of Education’s civil rights office will have a significant impact on the ability of the department to investigate and resolve complaints of discrimination in schools. The reduction in personnel will lead to a backlog of cases, leaving families and students without the protection they need. The Trump administration’s decision to eliminate the Chicago Civil Rights Office and reduce the personnel in other offices is a step backwards in the fight against discrimination in education.

FAQs

1. How many employees will be leaving the Chicago office of the Department of Education?
   At least 50 employees will be leaving the Chicago office of the Department of Education.
2. What is the impact of the layoffs on the civil rights office?
   The layoffs are eliminating the Chicago Civil Rights Office, one of the seven offices throughout the country where all positions are being eliminated.
3. What kind of cases will be affected by the reduction in personnel?
   The cases involve families trying to obtain school services for students with disabilities, accusations of racial and religious prejudices, and allegations of sexual violence in schools and university campuses.
4. How will the reduction in personnel affect the ability of the department to investigate and resolve complaints?
   The reduction in personnel will lead to a backlog of cases, leaving families and students without the protection they need.
5. What is the response of the Trump administration to the criticism of the layoffs?
   The Trump administration has not said how it will proceed with the thousands of cases of the Office of Civil Rights that manages the personnel that are eliminating. Department officials insisted that the cuts will not affect civil rights investigations. The reductions were "strategic decisions," said spokeswoman Madison Biedermann.