LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is responsible for investigating and enforcing federal civil rights law in American schools.

In 2024 alone, they fielded nearly 23,000 complaints — the highest in the agency’s history.

One Nebraska mom is among the thousands of cases, after she says her son faced racist bullying for years.

And after the Trump Administration gutted civil rights offices across the country, that case is now in limbo.

Falls City, Nebraska, is located in Richardson County, about two hours southeast of Lincoln.

It’s home to around 4,000 people, including Tara Blunt and her 12-year-old son, who for years was called things like the “N-word” and “cotton picker” at his elementary school. He was also physically assaulted, Blunt said.

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