Disability Bias Complaints Peak as the Office That Investigates Them Is Gutted

Families filed nearly 23,000 federal civil rights complaints against schools in fiscal 2024, the highest number ever.

That includes about 8,400 cases involving allegations of discrimination against students with disabilities, who have struggled to recover academically from the pandemic.

Under federal law, public schools must provide children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education,” to give them the same opportunity to learn as other kids.

But pleas for federal intervention are in limbo as President Donald Trump’s administration moves to dismantle the Education Department.

The agency helps oversee schools and colleges and has the authority to protect students from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or disability. Its Office for Civil Rights investigates accusat