The Trump Administration has issued a series of Anti-DEI Executive Orders, and the Department of Education (“ED”) has taken steps to align their efforts with the administration’s priorities. On February 14, 2025, ED published a Dear Colleague Letter, that sought to explain the Department of Education’s interpretation of Title VI. ED then published their FAQs […]
On April 7, 2025, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), issued notification of a new federal requirement for school districts to certify compliance (the “request for certification”) with U.S. civil rights laws. This is part of a nationwide requirement announced by USDOE on April […]
Dr. Paula E. Chan focuses her practice on school law, advising clients on issues related to special education, labor and employment, employment discrimination, student discipline, and disability accommodations. She has considerable experience planning and implementing civil rights investigations enforcing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VI, […]
On February 21, 2025, a Maryland federal district court blocked enforcement of key provisions of two of President Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and practices in the federal government, private sector, and educational institutions. The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and three other entities (DEIA Plaintiffs) […]
On February 14, 2025, the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education released a “Dear Colleague” Letter directed towards preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance from the Department. The Letter seeks to “clarify and reaffirm the nondiscrimination obligations” of schools, and it corresponds with President Trump’s […]
Weston Hurd traces its roots to 1925 when it was founded in Cleveland, Ohio by three young attorneys, graduates of Western Reserve University – Clark Tod McConnell, William C. Blackmore, and J. Virgil Cory. The firm, then known as McConnell, Blackmore & Cory, began as a full-service law firm located on the 10th floor of the Hippodrome […]
On January 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) issued a statement rescinding previous guidance limiting enforcement actions in school buildings. This may increase the chance of interactions between school district personnel and federal immigration authorities. Background: In previous years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and Customs and Border Protection generally did not conduct […]
On January 9, 2025 (with an amendment to the ruling on January 10, 2025, to correct an inadvertent omission), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, issued an Order vacating the United States Department of Education’s (the “Department”) 2024 Title IX final rule in the litigation in which Ohio is a […]
