The federal office that enforces civil rights at schools across the U.S. has been ordered to prioritize complaints of antisemitism above all else as it molds to President Donald Trump’s agenda, raising fears that other rights violations will go unpunished.

Trump’s new leader of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights told staff this week they will be expected to aggressively pursue complaints involving antisemitism and hew closely to Trump’s wishes, according to sources who were on the call with Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.

Already there are signs of a hard turn on civil rights enforcement, including new actions focused squarely on anti-Jewish bias and transgender issues.

Responding to a White House order last week, the office launched new antisemitism investigations at five universities including Columbia and Northwestern. Days earlier, it opened an inquiry into Denver public schools over an all-gender bathroom that replaced a girls’ bathroom while leaving another one exclusive to boys. On Wednesday, Trump ordered schools that receive federal money to ban transgender girls from participating in women’s sports, promising the Education Department would investigate schools and colleges that don’t comply.

The office’s fleet of lawyers have mostly been sidelined while the new administration shifts priorities. Daily work has been frozen, which is typical when a new President takes office, but sources say there’s a new blackout on communication with schools, colleges or those submitting complaints. Questions about how to enforce Title IX go unanswered, leaving schools in the dark as they navigate a new memo from the agency last week.

The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

In the staff call, Trainor said the office must be more aggressive and faster than it was under former President Joe Biden. He accused the previous administration of neglecting its duty to fight antisemitism, leaving more than 100 cases open. Trump has called for a review of all antisemitism cases opened since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, including those resolved under Biden.

With a rigid focus on antisemitism and gender identity, there’s fear the office won’t give adequate attention to racial discrimination, mistreatment based on disability, or Islamophobia. The office is required to process all complaints it fields, but politics can play a role in setting priorities and choosing which cases to pursue.

Raymond Pierce, who led the office under Democratic President Bill Clinton, said focusing on antisemitism alone doesn’t fulfill the mission of the office — to enforce civil rights laws.

“Antisemitism is an issue,” he said. “But the Civil Rights Act is broader than just religion.”

In a statement, Trainor promised his office “will vigorously investigate all alleged violations of civil rights laws within its purview.”

Trainor had also warned staff of a coming “restructuring” and acknowledged that Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is examining the Education Department. It raised worries about staffing cuts in a civil rights office that has seen dwindling numbers even as it received a record 22,687 complaints last year.

Additionally, there’s concern Trump in his quest to shut down the Education Department will slash the office’s budget and move it to the Justice Department, as suggested in the Project 2025 blueprint created by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

The impact of Trump’s changes are most likely to be felt by Black students and those who are disabled, according to lawyers and advocates. For decades, the Office for Civil Rights has worked to force equal access for marginalized students, said Derek W. Black, a law professor at the University of South Carolina.

If the office finds merit in a complaint, it has the power to withhold federal funding until schools or states comply.

“Are there local and state officials who want to do right by kids? Of course, there are,” Black said. “But are there districts that don’t think it’s a big deal or don’t want to do right by poor kids? Unfortunately, there are.”

Historically, most complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination, but last year accusations of sex discrimination surged to account for more than half of all complaints, according to an annual report. Disability discrimination accounted for 37%, while discrimination over race or national origin accounted for 19%.

In addition to its duty to investigate complaints, the office creates federal rules to interpret federal law for schools and colleges. That role has been at the center of a political tug-of-war over Title IX, with recent administrations repeatedly rewriting the rules governing investigations of campus sexual misconduct.

The Biden administration issued new rules last year expanding Title IX to protect transgender and LGBTQ+ students, and boosting victims’ rights. A federal judge overturned the rules in January, reverting to a previous set of rules from Trump’s first term.

In a memo to schools and colleges last week, the Office for Civil Rights emphasized that the earlier Trump rules would be enforced, but it created confusion about how to handle cases that were opened when Biden’s rules were in effect. With no communication from the department, there has been little clarity for schools.

There are also questions about how antisemitism investigations will change. Trump has used heated rhetoric to push for more aggressive action against colleges found to have tolerated antisemitism, and Trainor blasted the Biden administration for signing “toothless” agreements to resolve cases. No new guidance has been issued to lawyers who investigate cases.

As the office awaits orders to resume its work, it faces a growing backlog of complaints.

Before Trump took office, there were more than 140 open investigations involving shared ancestry, many of them dealing with antisemitism or Islamophobia. The Biden administration opened more than 100 investigations after Oct. 7, 2023. A flurry of schools reached deals to settle the cases before Trump took office amid fears that he would issue heavier sanctions.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

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Every year, tragic stories take place of children with autism who wander from their parents and drown.

A pair of Central Florida Democrats filed legislation meant to protect children with autism and intellectual disabilities while they are at school.

Sen. Kristen Arrington and Rep. Anna Eskamani want the state to require schools to have a plan already in place if a student escapes during the school day.

Eskamani called HB 345 and SB 460 “lifesaving.”

Under their plan, every school district would be required to set up a staff assistance for emergencies (SAFE) team to take action.

“Every special needs student in Florida deserves the same level of protection,” said Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando. “Our schools must be safe and supportive environments for all. As advocates for the health and well-being of Florida’s children, it is imperative that we establish systems that ensure their safety and well-being. This policy is not just proactive—it is lifesaving.”

Their bill sets up the details for how each school would set up their SAFE team and what the group would need to do.

Every school’s principal and assistant principal and at least five others picked by the principal would make up the SAFE team and be in charge of developing an annual “elopement plan.” The team would also train the rest of the staff how to do a search grid of school property, including “all bodies of water, intersections, train tracks and stations, parks, playgrounds, and other features that may present a greater risk for students with disabilities at risk of elopement.” 

Children with autism are most likely to die from drowning because they can be prone to wandering and fascinated by water.

When a child runs off, the SAFE team would also be required to immediately notify the school resource officer and local law enforcement, alert the rest of the school and contact the child’s parents.

For students who have a history of running away at school, the SAFE team would also create a “quick reference guide” with the child’s picture and quick facts about the child’s interests, communication skills and important health information to help the school find them. 

If the bill passes, the requirements would take place July 1.

The Regular Session convenes March 4.

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Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will be paying more than $2.3 million on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. to the Florida Medicaid program.

Florida’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit secured the win through a multistate action, after whistleblowers filed lawsuits against the company alleging that Biohaven had been giving health practitioners kickbacks to hawk their products to patients, specifically the migraine headache treatment Nurtec ODT, according to the Florida Office of the Attorney General.

In the settlement agreement from the U.S. Department of Justice, it states health care providers were paid these kickbacks to present at various speaker programs that were held virtually, in a provider’s office, or at other offsite venues, such as high-end restaurants.

It was alleged the providers then tried to persuade their colleagues to prescribe Nurtec to Medicaid and other federal health care beneficiaries — a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

Biohaven had paid providers up to $100,000 to host speaker programs, which in some cases were attended by the provider’s spouse, family, friends, and colleagues from their own practices, despite there being no educational need for them to attend the program.

It was further alleged that some providers attended multiple speaking events, receiving expensive meals and drinks all paid for by Biohaven in order to influence the providers to prescribe Nurtec to their patients.

“I’m incredibly proud of our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for leading the way in holding Biohaven accountable. Actions, like those alleged here, must be stopped to prevent health care fraud,” acting Florida Attorney General John Guard said in a statement.

Investigations into the allegations against Biohaven were launched by the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units team, who negotiated settlements alongside the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. Attorney general offices from California, New York, and Virginia were also involved in the investigation.

In total, Pfizer agree to pay $2,300,449 to the Florida Medicaid program, and will pay millions with interest to Puerto Rico, the U.S., and 37 other states to resolve the lawsuits, with the settlement topping $59 million.

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