Dismantling the Education Department Endangers Equal Education for all US Students, Says LatinoJustice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2025
Dismantling the Education Department Endangers Equal Education for all US Students, Says LatinoJustice
New York, NY – Civil rights organization LatinoJustice PRLDEF commented on today’s announcement from the U.S Department of Education announcing changes that would effectively create new agreements with the Labor Department which would administer more federal K-12 initiatives, and the State Department will assume additional tasks related to international education and the Fulbright programs.
The announcement follows a March executive order seeking to eliminate the department without Congressional action. Only Congress has the constitutional authority to create or dissolve a federal agency.
The following statement can be attributed to Francisca Fajana, Director of Racial Justice Strategy at LatinoJustice PRLDEF:
“Removing some of the most vital functions from the Department of Education aims to effectively abdicate all federal responsibility for the education of more than 73 million young people in the US, a shameful move that will irrevocably harm our nation’s future.
“Despite the erroneous picture the White House has tried to paint about federal control of school policies and curricula, most of those decisions lie with state and local entities. What the effective illegal shutdown of the Department of Education does is to erase needed grants, oversight, coordination and federal enforcement that will disproportionately affect students of color, low-income students, Indigenous students.
“This is not about efficiency; it is about abandoning the commitment to equal educational opportunity. LatinoJustice demands quick action by our lawmakers to challenge this overreach, and we will continue to work to protect the rights of every student in our nation.”
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For over 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org