According to an October 23, 2026 update published in the Federal Register, the Trump administration is no longer recognizing guidance documents, resources for school districts, and civil rights enforcement approaches that aimed to make education more accessible for English learners (ELs), Black and other marginalized students.
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said seven total documents issued by the two agencies between 2015 and 2023 are “not enforceable” under various federal civil rights laws related to race, disability and other protections. Some of them have already been previously quietly rescinded by the administration.
As per the notice, “The Departments will not rely upon these guidance documents in their enforcement of federal civil rights laws, including Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
In one overturned document from 2015, which was also rescinded in 2025, the federal government sought to ensure that “school districts are equipped with the tools and resources to meet their responsibilities” for English learner students.
Seven federal resources are also being reviewed as a result of the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision overturning the Chevron doctrine.
The federal government is also walking back other guidance documents for school districts and enforcement approaches meant to make education equitable for marginalized students, such as those issued in the wake of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard College and University of North Carolina.
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