Overview:
Under President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the U.S. Department of Education rescinded the 2015 “Dear Colleague” guidance on English learners ending federal oversight and supports for more than 5.3 million students, a move advocates warn could harm immigrant children for decades.
Under the directive of President Donald J. Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the U.S. Department of Education has ended federal guidelines set in 2015 on how to serve English Language Learners. These shifts are expected to impact more than 5.3 million English learners in the U.S. K-12 public education system, as well as the schools that support them.
The Washington Post was the first to report the guidance had been rescinded.
The “Dear Colleague” guidance letter issued in 2015 during the Obama administration was a seminal document used by districts, which was recalled because, according to Department officials, “it did not align with administration priorities.
Advocates worry that this move will harm immigrant children for decades to come. “Language access is a fundamental right that builds safer, smarter, and more connected communities, and ensures children can receive a full and fair education while keeping their parents actively involved,” said Anne Kelsey, senior policy analyst for disability rights at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
This latest move comes after 8 months of the Trump administration targeting students where English is a second language starting with ending schools as a “protected” area from immigration enforcement, withheld federal Title III dollars intended for English Learners, declared English as the only official language and minimizing “non-essential multilingual services” and laid off all employees in the federal office dedicated to English Language Learners.
The Dear Colleague letter was widely used because schools’ legal expectations for services now have a notice in red that says, “This document has been formally rescinded by the department…” The 40-page letter provided guidance on assessing students, utilizing evidence-based instructional practices in their programs, staffing recommendations, and ensuring equal opportunities for participation in school activities.
Over the last eight months, the Justice Department has notified at least three school districts in Boston, Newark, and Worcester, Massachusetts, that they are no longer being monitored by the government to ensure they offer services to English-language learners.
Evident since Trump’s first term, his top priority is to return education responsibilities and decisions, which will surely be a topic for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon as she kicked off her 50-state “Returning Education to the States” tour last week.
