WASHINGTON (KXXV) — Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) and nine Democratic members of Congress from Texas have called on the Department of Education to reverse its decision to close the Regional Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in Dallas.
In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahan, lawmakers expressed concern that the closure follows actions by the Trump administration that have weakened the department, including the dismissal of nearly half of its federal workforce, particularly those responsible for protecting students' and educators' civil rights.
“The closure of the Texas Regional OCR would significantly impact the enforcement of civil rights protections in our schools,” Crockett and her colleagues wrote. “This decision undermines the Department’s mission and leaves vulnerable communities without critical resources.”
“Let us be clear—closing the Dallas Regional OCR Office, along with at least six other regional OCR offices, and firing federal ORC employees is not only a recipe for disaster but will cause irreparable harm to our students and their families by delaying the justice they are seeking for having had their civil rights violated," the members said.
