Education Dept. transfers Office for Civil Rights to DOJ and special education office to HHS

The U.S. Department of Education announced on June 16, 2026 that it would transfer two of its most consequential civil rights functions to other federal agencies via interagency agreements. The department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) — which receives and investigates discrimination complaints from students in K-12 schools and universities under laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, sex, disability, and national origin — will move to the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, currently led by Harmeet Dhillon. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which oversees state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and administers grants supporting disabled students, will move to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Education officials informed advocacy groups of the transfers on Tuesday morning before announcing them publicly that afternoon. Under the new arrangement, OCR will use the DOJ Civil Rights Division "to evaluate, investigate and resolve complaints filed under the laws enforced by OCR." A former Education Department attorney told Education Week the move was "illegal," arguing that DOJ lawyers lack the specialized expertise to handle education civil rights cases and that the change will make it harder for students and families to secure relief from discrimination. Disability rights advocates expressed alarm that moving OSERS to HHS separates the agency from the educational mission Congress assigned it.

The transfers are part of a broader pattern of hollowing out the Education Department through executive action. The administration has also closed more than half of OCR's regional offices, reduced overall Education Department staff by nearly half, and canceled approximately $2 billion in grants. This follows ten earlier interagency agreements shifting other departmental functions to the Departments of Labor, HHS, Interior, State, and Treasury. Formally abolishing the Department of Education would require an act of Congress; these transfers instead relocate its core functions piecemeal without legislative authorization.