The Supreme Court’s decision to let President Donald Trump move forward with plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education is drawing concern among educators and civil rights advocates in Washington, D.C., where many public schools serve a predominantly Black student population.
According to enrollment data from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, schools in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River and several clusters west of the river have the highest share of Black students. In Congress Heights alone, more than 7,000 Black students are enrolled in public schools this year. Citywide, Black students make up the largest racial group in District of Columbia Public Schools.
Advocates warn that closing the Education Department could severely weaken oversight that helps address racial disparities in school discipline, funding, and access to advanced courses—challenges that are already documented in D.C. schools.
In a 6-3 decision issued Monday, the Court lifted an injunction that had blocked Trump’s administration from laying off nearly 1,400 employees. The layoffs are the first step to eliminating the department entirely, fulfilling a long-standing campaign promise to return education oversight to the states.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon praised the decision, saying it confirmed the president’s authority over agency operations.
“Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the president of the United States, as the head of the executive branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies,” McMahon said in a statement.
Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown-Jackson ruled against lifting the injunction.
“When the executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise,” Sotomayor wrote in the dissent, “it is the judiciary’s duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it.”
Critics say the plan will destabilize the public education system and jeopardize programs for vulnerable students. Black educators and civil rights groups have expressed concern that the dismantling will undercut enforcement of anti-discrimination protections and end funding streams that have helped close opportunity gaps.
“If we no longer have a department, we may not necessarily really have the research and support to really make sure that all students are achieving at high levels,” Patrick Rice, chair of the Black Educational Advocacy Coalition, told reporters. “That data and information would be critical. A lot of the districts did not pay close attention to their subgroups, and the department can have the accountability piece of making sure that a school district is doing everything they can to provide an equitable education.”
A report from the Thurgood Marshall Institute warns that the far right’s Project 2025 blueprint for education rejects enforcement of civil rights protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including the legal doctrine that allows the government to challenge school policies with discriminatory effects, even if no explicit intent to discriminate is shown. According to the report, eliminating that authority would make it far harder to address the disproportionate suspension of Black students and the disparities in advanced coursework.
“Denying these truths doesn’t make them disappear — it deepens the harm,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said after the group filed suit against the Education Department over funding cuts targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Black students already face deep disparities in school discipline, access to advanced coursework, and school funding. An earlier investigation cited by advocates found that majority-Black school districts invested about half as much per student in facilities compared with majority-white districts. Nearly 21% of Black students rely on Title I funding for low-income schools, a stream of aid that could be eliminated if the department is abolished.
Beyond K-12 schools, Pell Grants for low-income college students and programs like Head Start for preschoolers are also at risk of being potentially in jeopardy. Research has shown that Black children who participate in high-quality early education score significantly higher on cognitive assessments than their peers who do not.
In D.C., schools in communities such as Congress Heights, Edgewood, Bloomingdale, and Kingman Park already enroll thousands of students in neighborhoods with high poverty rates. Title I funding, which supports low-income schools, and Pell Grants for college students are among the programs likely to be affected by the department’s closure.
“For folks who’ve been committed to protecting public education for Black and brown children, and really protecting Black students’ experiences, the job just got even harder,” said Jalisa Evans, founder of the Black Educator Advocates Network. “I think coupling the DEI attacks and the loss of our Department of Education truly tells the story of what our schools are going to look and feel like for both Black students and Black educators.”
Source: Published without changes from Washington Informer Newspaper
