Amidst the chaos that is American politics, yet another subtle blow to the American public comes in the form of the reduction of civil rights on public school campuses.

What happened?

On Friday, the Department of Education issued an internal memo that entailed the reduction of strict procedures that were in place from the Obama Administration, in terms of investigations of violations of civil rights in public schools and colleges. This was an attempt to veer away from the extensive investigations that were required to take place for each case that was brought to the department, a method that resulted in the delaying of a multitude of cases that were presented as the department was understaffed and overwhelmed at the sheer volumes of cases.

Such an adopted approach raises some serious concerns, however. A reduction of restrictive features allows for a disregard of the in-depth investigations that the cases require. The most apparent fear is that the department will veer its course towards a standard of efficiency rather than one of proper justice. Not only that, but this subtle disregard for the detailed natures of most of these cases allows for a blatant devaluation of the significance of protecting civil rights in educational contexts.

Troubling evidence that surfaced in relation to the changes shows that further reliance on the individual institutions’ disciplinary actions may have its own consequences. The evidence shows that there is racially disproportionate judgment being dished out, with instances of black students receiving punishments of exponentially larger proportions than their white counterparts. With such problematic evidence on the field, along with projections of the new federal budget cutting 40+ staff members, the circumstances only stand to exacerbate the issue.

What does this mean?

Such circumstances scream for intervention with the exact opposite taking place. When empirical evidence of disproportionate and racially biased punishment being the aftermath of disciplinary action taken by schools themselves are present, the situation calls for regulatory intervention in order to preserve the civil rights of the students. However, such withdrawal sends a message to the nation about the subtle and gradual devaluation of civil rights, a perspective that has almost become synonymous with the Trump administration.

An approach that attempts to further minimize the already understaffed department already reinforces the very problem that was attempted to be solved. It only exponentially raises the present concerns with the department as well as with the value of civil rights in education. It also serves to reinforce a notably lower standard for resolving concerns about rape victims and racial injustice, almost as if they are such concerns that are not worth the time of the United States government.

Such a precedent is terrifying for the nation, virtually treading the path towards yet another racially prejudiced America, as if we ever escaped it in the first place.