Education Department asks civil rights staff put on leave to come back to work

Published December 9, 2025 9:24am ET



The Education Department asked over 200 employees who had been laid off in its civil rights division to return on a temporary basis. 

Secretary Linda McMahon in March sought to lay off around 1,400 of its 4,200 employees, including around 250 staffers working at the agency’s Office for Civil Rights. Seven of OCR’s 12 regional offices were also shuttered.

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