The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights was created to protect students from discrimination—on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. It exists to make sure every student, in every school, has a fair chance to learn in a safe and inclusive environment.

Now that office is at risk of being gutted.

As part of a massive downsizing of the Department of Education, the Trump administration is slashing jobs across the agency, including at the Office for Civil Rights. Already, former staff are testifying that they can no longer fulfill their mission. And if Congress doesn’t act, thousands of civil rights complaints—covering everything from antisemitism to disability discrimination—could go unanswered.

These aren’t just numbers. They’re students—many of them in public schools without lawyers or resources to fight alone.

We’re calling on Congress and the Department of Education to immediately preserve full staffing and funding for the Office for Civil Rights, and to ensure that every student’s civil liberties are protected, no matter what happens to the rest of the agency.

Civil rights protections in schools aren’t optional. They’re foundational. Don’t let them vanish.