The Bill to Abolish the Department of Education is a Bill to Dismantle Libraries
This bill is a poorly veiled disguise for doing what so many local groups have tried to do in the past several years.
Just before Thanksgiving, Republican Senator Mike Rounds from South Dakota introduced Senate Bill 5384 in Congress, a bill to abolish the Department of Education.
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This bill is a poorly veiled disguise for doing what so many local groups have tried to do in the past several years—controlling educational curricula in public schools and libraries, including banning books and materials that contain views and perspectives they disagree with.
This latest attempt at controlling education would abolish the Department of Education and have other governmental departments absorb some, but not all, of its responsibilities. Responsibilities like the protection of civil liberties and rights within schools would no longer be part of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and would instead be enforced by the Department of Justice.
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While it may seem like this bill would still preserve civil rights and prevent any legal violations, it could take on a contrary framework of justice and perhaps criminalize the students that need to be protected.
In recent years, many students have filed OCR complaints against districts that have banned books that provided diverse views and perspectives; however, the Department of Justice may not allow for such complaints against book bans and may further reduce the power of students in shaping their own educational curriculum.
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The U.S. Department of Education currently houses an Office for Civil Rights, which addresses any violations of law or discrimination based on Race, color, national origin, or ancestry, Sex or gender, Disability, or Age. Programs like the Office for Civil Rights help to ensure that students from all backgrounds have access to books and instructional matters with diverse perspectives and for students to file grievances against civil rights violations.
This legislation would transfer complaints and enforcement related to Federal civil rights laws in schools to the Department of Justice. Trump Administration’s current nominee to head this department as Attorney General, Pam Bondi, previously claimed that marriage equality could cause “serious public harm.” Statements like this show that books about LBGTQ+ could be pulled from school libraries without any consequence.
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Legislation like Senate Bill 5384 would also prevent some students from filing complaints or addressing other civil rights violations within schools - especially the experiences of students from marginalized communities. Please sign the petition to preserve and protect the Department of Education and the services that it provides to students across the nation.