With widespread accusations of civil rights violations against Jewish students on U.S. campuses following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, President-elect Donald Trump described how he will set his administration apart from his predecessor’s.
Trump vowed in September that schools not doing enough to investigate, prevent, or punish antisemitic activity on campus will be “held accountable for violations of the civil rights law,” which entails removing federal funding or even college accreditation.
“We will not subsidize the creation of terrorist sympathizers, and we’re not going to do it — certainly on American soil,” he said.
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has launched well over 100 investigations into universities and school districts around the country looking into alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with most involving antisemitic activity allegedly preventing Jewish students from obtaining an equal education.
No school under the Biden administration has lost funding or accreditation, even when significant violations have been found. One example is when the OCR investigated 75 complaints of harassment at the University of Michigan, many targeting Jewish students. Officials found that very few had even been investigated by the university.
Trump has promised to move the Education Department “to the states,” which may entail dissolving or drastically reducing the scope of the federal department.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Trump’s team to inquire about which government agency will handle that, if not the Education Department.
In April, three leading First Amendment lawyers and scholars explained to the Washington Examiner the extent to which the federal government can take action against schools fostering antisemitic activity after polling showed that Jewish students, by and large, feel “unsafe” on campus.
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First Amendment lawyer and civil litigator Jeffrey Robbins said that when universities receiving federal funding are violating Title VI and other provisions of the civil rights laws, then it is “the responsibility of Congress and governors and presidents to take steps, and Departments of Education to hold those schools to account” by removing funding.
Former University of California system president and constitutional law scholar Mark Yudof warned that while the government can remove funding, it could undermine important research being conducted.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
