Tag
The right to education, protected under international human rights law. Incidents involve dismantlement of the Department of Education, cuts to school funding, and policies that restrict educational access for marginalized communities.
3 incidents
Grade 1 of 5: Significant Democratic Concern
Two of the largest federal funding agencies removed the regulatory tool long used to investigate racial disparities in school discipline, school closures and health care, issuing the rules with immediate effect and no public comment.
Grade 3 of 5: Serious Rights Violation
The rescission of the sensitive locations policy removed decades-old protections for churches, schools, hospitals, and shelters (courthouse arrests were governed by a separate ICE directive, also loosened in January 2025) from immigration enforcement. The rescission coincided with a broader surge in arrests of non-criminal immigrants and chilled access to essential services including healthcare and education.
Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power
DeVos, a billionaire Michigan donor with ties to the for-profit education industry through her family's investment portfolio, was confirmed in February 2017 in a 50-50 Senate vote — the first cabinet confirmation requiring Vice President Pence's tiebreaking vote in history. She immediately moved to suspend the Obama administration's Borrower Defense to Repayment rules, which provided a path for students defrauded by schools to have their federal loans discharged. More than 100,000 borrower defense applications accumulated while DeVos's department delayed processing them. Courts found the delays violated federal law. She also rescinded the Gainful Employment rule that required for-profit programs to demonstrate graduates could earn enough to service their student debt.