LM Mar 2025

Legal Corner

Chad Watkins IASA Associate Director/General Counsel

To help school leaders navigate uncertain times, IASA has partnered with leading law firms throughout Illinois to provide districts with critical guidance during the 2024–25 school year. In Leadership Matters , the IASA Legal Corner will showcase an article written by attorneys who specialize in legal matters related to education. It is our hope you find the content insightful, timely and helpful in

addressing the critical matters you face. In this issue, we share a rolling update from attorneys at Franczek about the Department of Education, executive orders and legal challenges. As a reminder, IASA Legal Corner articles are provided for informational purposes only, and you are advised to contact your district counsel for legal advice. Click on the link below to access the article.

New Developments from the Dept. Of Ed., More Enforcement Actions by the EEOC and DOJ, and Additional Challenges to Executive Orders

It was another big week for the Department of Education, with President Trump signing an Executive Order on Thursday instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take actions to “close” the Department. President Trump’s Executive Order came one week after the Department announced that it would lay off approximately 50% of its staff members and close seven regional offices of the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”). Relatedly, a group of parents have filed suit against the Trump Administration related to the OCR closings, alleging that the administration’s actions exceeded the President’s authority and violated a myriad of laws. In other notable news from the week, we continued to see enforcement actions from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Justice, and OCR against educational institutions and private employers alike related to DEI initiatives. Continue reading

16 LM March 2025