WASHINGTON—The Trump administration today announced that it has created a new partnership between the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as a new agreement between the Education Department and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These moves are part of President Trump’s appropriate efforts to break up the federal education bureaucracy and send education decisions back to the states.  

Jonathan Butcher, acting director for The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, made the following statement:

“Protecting civil rights is an essential responsibility for the federal government, even as Secretary McMahon winds down the US Department of Education. These new partnerships demonstrate that the secretary is focused on the policy details required to close the agency.

“These agreements between the agencies address the concerns of critics who say key questions on the agency’s closure are being disregarded. The partnerships will be valuable for families, college students, and K-12 students.”

Adam Kissel, visiting fellow in higher education reform for Heritage, added:

“The Department of Justice should take a greater role in assessing civil rights complaints nationwide. Integrating health policy and education policy for kids is smart. These substantial steps toward ending the Department of Education are long overdue.”