News Archive: March 2025
3/31/25 - DHS funded school shooting database removed by Trump Administration
The database was the only one of its kind and was part of the Terrorism and Targeted Violence Database developed in 2020. It was eliminated alongside 24 other projects in a $20 million funding cut.
The student, Dogukan Gunaydin, has filed a lawsuit against the administration for violating his due process rights because he was detained by ICE hours before his visa was officially revoked. This is also an escalation of how the administration deals with visa-holders who may have committed crimes, as they would typically not be detained immediately and are instead given a chance to argue their case.
This is the same review Columbia underwent which resulted in a loss of $400 million and required them to adopt administration-approved "preconditions". It is thought some of the money under review is connected to Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and this is part of a larger crackdown on protests at colleges and universities.
The funding was cut off the same day the email was sent, leaving districts with little options for completing planned projects. It will mean debt for school districts who may already owe money they had anticipated would be reimbursed. The administration claims "COVID is over" and that the spending is being misused, despite an earlier process asking schools to justify their spending for the deadline extension under Biden.
This is the same reasoning as the HHS non-compliance but done via ED. OCR has said Maine is violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to compete in sports and by allowing students to use bathrooms according to their gender identity. MDOE has until April 11 to respond or it will be referred to DOJ.
3/28/25 - HHS OCR has referred Maine's Title IX noncompliance to DOJ for enforcement
The district has said it cannot sign the requested agreement because it would violate state law and the Maine Human Rights Act, which considers gender identity a protected class and allows athletes to compete as their self-identified gender. The Trump administration has threatened federal funding if Maine does not comply but it will be up to the DOJ to proceed.
Schools may choose not to inform parents of students who wish to socially transition at school out of concern for the student's safety. The Trump administration believes schools doing this are "encouraging children down a path with irreversible repercussions" (in reference to transgender people) and this is part of the administration's general anti-trans policies.
The district has said it cannot sign the requested agreement because it would violate state law and the Maine Human Rights Act, which considers gender identity a protected class and allows athletes to compete as their self-identified gender.
3/27/25 - University of Minnesota international business student detailed by ICE
ICE has not given a reason for their detention and the university was not informed beforehand.
The letter specifies that Democrats want an investigation into whether the Trump administration's efforts are undermining the ability for students to have access to equal education and for ED to provide help for state and local education.
The judge said he did not meet the requirements for a temporary restraining order and that she did not have jurisdiction over immigration cases.
This is a response to the Trump administration EO and Feb 14 Dear Colleague Letter requiring that schools end all programs and policies related to DEI, and has been criticized by faculty. U of M had previously invested a lot of money in and prioritized DEI.
Ozturk was arrested by DHS agents outside an off-campus apartment building. ICE records show she is being held in Louisiana and her attorney has not been able to contact her. It is suspected her arrest is related to an opinion essay she co-wrote in the Tufts student newspaper critical of the university response to Palestine and BDS.
The programs are the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development and the lawsuit filed to stop the cuts alleges it is an anti-DEI measure. The administration wants to be able to implement these cuts while waiting for the lawsuit to be resolved.
3/26/25 - ED has restored access to applications for Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plan loan programs
The applications were down because the Trump administration challenged the Biden-era SAVE IDR and an appeals court ruled it was illegal. The administration says it has now revised IDR plans to conform with the ruling. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, used by teachers, was also blocked in this ruling.
It is unclear why he was detained, and the student newspaper reports his visa was revoked in mid-2023 but was told to stay in US by the university international student services because his case was "not unusual or problematic".
The groups suing are the American Association of University Professors, the Middle East Studies Association and Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. They argue that students' First Amendment rights are being threatened.
This part of the OCR investigation and finding that Maine is in violation of Title IX for allowing transgender athletes to compete on sports teams. Requiring Maine to sign this agreement would violate the state's Human Rights Act which in 2021 added gender identity as a protected class.
3/24/25 - Advocacy organizations file lawsuit against the Trump administration for dismantling ED.
It alleges "actions to dismantle the Department exceed the constitutional authority of the executive branch and violate the federal Administrative Procedure Act" and asks the court to stop the attempt at dismantling the department. Among the plaintiffs are the NAACP, NEA, AFSCME Maryland Council 3, public school parents. They are supported by Student Defense and ELC.
It is not clear how these moves will take place and both the SBA and HHS have experienced significant staff cuts with more expected to take place. Additionally, it is illegal to move federal loans to SBA because the Higher Education Act of 1965 requires FSA be under the secretary of education. Moving special education and nutrition to HHS is troubling because the RFK Jr, the head of HHS, has made comments questioning the existence of autism and in support of unproven theories around health and nutrition.
Columbia has agreed to significant changes including increasing police presence, banning face masks or face coverings, and additional oversight of the Middle Eastern Studies department. It is widely viewed as a complete capitulation to a far-right government and is rumored to not be enough to reinstate the lost funding anyway.
3/20/25 - President Trump signs executive order to dismantle the US Department of Education
Only Congress can fully dismantle ED, but the EO orders Secretary McMahon to eliminate and/or more as many functions to other departments as possible. It is unclear how this will be accomplished and who will do it after half the department was fired last week. The EO also says education will be "returned to the states" but many of the responsbilities of ED were always federal, just under different departments. States already fund the majority of education and set policy, so this will impact primarily low-income and special education K-12 students and federal student loans, as well as OCR investigations.
Senators Patty Murray of WA, Tammy Baldwin of WI and Representative Rosa DeLauro of CT sent the letter to ED Secretary Linda McMahon and acting IES Director Matthew Soldner. It is asking for specific details of staff cut, expected savings and reassignments, among other requests. They have set a deadline of March 21 for the department to respond.
Grants were terminated in mid-February, a judge ruled that this was in violation of the law and only congress has that authority. This order is a response to a lawsuit from the National Center for Teacher Residencies and the Association of American Colleges for Teacher Education.
Investigations come after Feb 14 "Dear Colleague" letter which warned schools that using any race-based programs would result in a loss of federal funding.
The lawsuit alleges that the mass layoffs and closures of OCR offices means ED has "abdicated its responsibility to enforce civil rights protections" and their actions override Congress' authority. It also alleges the administration has made it clear they do not care about the civil rights of students. The mass layoffs have reportedly made it impossible for OCR to do its job and remaining emplolyees have said they do not know how any cases can be investigated with so little staff.
This was a closed, anti-transgender event. The press release indicates it was held for people who do not believe transgender people exist and that transgender identity is "indoctrination". Detransition is an obsession on the far-right but is very rare, and is usually done not because someone is not transgender but because of societal pressure to present as the gender assigned at birth. Only .4% of trans people report detransitioning because they no longer identified as transgender.
The cuts make it impossible for ED to function and will cause significant harm to the people it serves, so the lawsuit alleges the department has been functionally dismantled. This is not something the president can do, only congress has this power.
Twenty-four staff members from FSA tech division were laid off, which is the entire team responsible for systems that support FAFSA. FAFSA has had technical problems since before the Trump administration.
3/12/15 - Department of Education offices closed all day for “security reasons”
Comes after half department is laid off, claims it will reopen Thursday. DC police did not report any active threats.
3/11/25 - Most Institute of Education Sciences (IES) positions eliminated as part of mass RIF
Staff reduced from 170 to 20 and most branches left with 0-1 staff members. NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) left with 3, but one is set to retire. This impacts national student data collection, NAEP, Regional Education Laboratory, Education Resources Information Center, What Works Clearinghouse, National Center for Education Research and other IES programs.
The layoffs affected nearly half the department and are confirmed by ED secretary McMahon as the start of the plan to (unlawfully) completely shut it down. OCR staff were cut while working on on-going cases, and it is unclear how they will proceed. The entire English Language Acquisition office was cut and all of the Special Education office was either already vacant or cut (except the Assistant Secretary.) The entire office of educational technology was eliminated. See this organizational chart - anything highlighted in red was targeted.
This is the same reasoning as Columbia's funding freeze and is probably also a way to enforce ideological beliefs and de-fund education in general.
Funding was pulled in February from California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin, and the grant money came from Seeking Effective Educator Development (SEED) and Teacher Quality Partnerships (TQP). State AGs sued the Trump administration on March 6. The judge ruled it must be re-instated for at least 14 days. It is unclear if any of the funding has actually been re-instated for any of the programs, however.
He has been detained and moved around by ICE, and his attorneys and family have struggled to contact him. Green card holders cannot lose status without an immigration court ruling. This is unprecedented and probably a first amendment violation. A judge temporarily blocked his deportation on 3/11/25.
The freezing of funds is likely related to the administration's desire to destroy education, especially when it promotes ideas they disagree with, and not a sincere attempt to combat antisemitism.
Filed in New Hampshire US District Court. ACLU of New Hampshire, ACLU of Massachusetts and NEA New Hampshire are also part of the suit. Acknowledges FAQ released 3/3 but says it does not meaningfully change the problems with Feb 14 memo.
Alleges "woke cancel culture" has led to rise in antisemitism on college campuses, and singles out Columbia. Threatens over $50 million in federal contracts.
3/3/25 - Linda McMahon confirmed as Secretary of Education
McMahon plans to oversee dismantling of ED and her confirmation is likely the start of a quick process to do that along P2025's timeline. She is deeply unqualified for this position and has a history of allegations of covering up CSA within wrestling. Read her speech here.
Brings guidance in line with established legal views on discrimination instead of vague, threatening wording used in Feb 14 memo. Clarifies that DEI is not automatically illegal. Likely a response to pushback.