The US Education Department has announced the removal of several “disparate impact” regulations, which had prohibited policies and practices with discriminatory impacts that are often unintended. This move has been met with criticism from civil rights and education groups, who argue that the regulations being removed were crucial to protect students from systemic discrimination based on race, color, and national origin.

Background

The move is part of a wider push by the Trump administration against diversity initiatives, which they claim are anti-merit and discriminatory against groups like white people and men. The Education Department stated that disparate impact rules had prevented schools from addressing classroom issues and had led educational institutions to consider race and engage in racial balancing.

Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement, “The left’s notion of ‘equity’ should never prevent teachers from keeping their classrooms and students safe. With these changes, schools will be empowered to address classroom issues without fearing the federal government will weaponize anti-discrimination laws.”

Reactions

Civil rights advocates have long condemned the Trump administration’s actions, saying they are rolling back social progress and removing practices aimed at helping marginalized groups like ethnic minorities, women, and the LGBT community. The dozens of rights groups protesting the move said the regulations were crucial to protecting against measures such as school closure and discipline policies that often appear neutral but tend to harm or set back Black, Native American, Hispanic, Asian American, and Pacific Islander students.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.