Attorneys who helped manage the Department of Education’s thousands of open investigations into civil rights complaints said there was little to no coordination to facilitate the transition of cases after it became clear the attorneys handling them would be cut from the agency’s workforce.
They’re doubtful that the sudden reduction in force — which entailed shuttering more than half of the Office for Civil Rights’ regional offices and firing more than 200 attorneys — will allow the investigations to proceed smoothly after they’re reassigned to remaining personnel and offices.
According to three attorneys previously involved in this type of work in regional civil rights offices in different parts of the country, there were no department directives to help coordinate the transfer of casework to the offices and employees that remained after the RIF.