A Japanese classroom with desk and tables and blakckboard is taken from low angle.
Reports from various schools across the United States highlight alarming instances of racial harassment that have largely gone unaddressed under the Trump administration. In Colorado, Black students faced taunts involving whipping sounds played from cellphones, while in Ohio, the only two Black students in a small district were repeatedly subjected to racial slurs on their first day. These incidents, among others, have prompted investigations by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which found that many school districts failed to adequately respond to racial hostility.
In one particularly disturbing case, students at a school in Illinois displayed Confederate flags in PowerPoint presentations and even shook a school bus to intimidate Black students as they exited. According to a ProPublica analysis, the OCR has resolved approximately 50 racial harassment cases over the past three years, but accountability measures have diminished significantly since Donald Trump began his second term in office.
Paige Duggins-Clay, an attorney with a Texas nonprofit organization, expressed concern over the current lack of action from the OCR. She stated, “The message that it sends is that the people impacted by racial discrimination and harassment don’t matter.” Under the Trump administration, the OCR has not entered into any new resolution agreements regarding racial harassment, a stark contrast to the agency’s previous activity.
The OCR had been investigating nine complaints related to racial discrimination in the Lubbock-Cooper school district, but Duggins-Clay noted that there has been no communication from the department this year regarding these cases. This lack of engagement is also reflected in the overall statistics: since January 20, only 14 new investigations into allegations of racial harassment targeting Black students have been opened, despite receiving over 500 complaints within the same timeframe.
The situation has been exacerbated by staffing cuts and a shift in focus within the OCR. The department has dismissed many complaints without investigation, leading to a backlog of cases. As of now, nearly 24,000 investigations remain open, with the majority concerning students with disabilities and racial harassment, particularly against Black students.
In Arizona, the OCR concluded a nearly three-year investigation into the Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary District, which found that the school had made “minimal and ineffective” attempts to address both racial and sexual harassment. A seventh-grade student reported being ridiculed and physically attacked, yet the school’s response was limited to documenting the incidents. This insufficient action has left many students feeling unsafe and anxious, with some considering self-harm due to sustained harassment.
In North Carolina, a resolution agreement reached at the end of the Biden administration is now under threat. The Carteret County Public Schools faced OCR scrutiny after students hurled racial slurs at two Black teenagers. Instead of implementing adequate measures to address the situation, school officials suggested minimal adjustments, such as allowing the affected students to leave class early. Following the election of Trump, the district has sought to nullify the agreement, arguing that the previous administration’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion is no longer applicable.
The OCR’s shift in priorities has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates, who argue that the administration is abandoning its commitment to enforcing civil rights protections in education. For example, the Greater Springfield NAACP highlighted a recent incident where white students participated in a mock “slave auction” on social media, further illustrating the urgent need for effective intervention in cases of racial harassment.
As the OCR grapples with a growing backlog and a diminished workforce, many families are left without the support and protections they need. The OCR has reportedly ceased monitoring many districts previously found to have violated students’ civil rights, creating a vacuum of accountability.
Advocates emphasize that the ongoing harassment of Black students in schools is not a relic of the past but rather a persistent issue that demands immediate attention. As the situation continues to unfold, the need for a robust response to racial discrimination in schools has never been more critical.
