Trump Administration’s Education Rollbacks Leave Black Students in Lubbock Facing Unchecked Racism

The Trump administration’s handling of civil rights in education is shown as deeply harmful in Lubbock, Texas, where federal protections against racism in schools stalled after the Department of Education sharply pulled back its enforcement role. Parents, students, and educators describe a climate where racist abuse continues with little accountability after the administration dismantled key parts of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights.

At a local NAACP meeting, families shared repeated incidents involving Black children. One mother said her son, a high school football player, was called a racial slur during a game “with no consequence.” Another family described a 12-year-old boy who was interrogated alone at school by a police officer and sent to a disciplinary campus after a false accusation. “They’re breaking people,” said Phyllis Gant of the NAACP chapter in Lubbock. “It’s just open season on our students.”

Community members once believed federal oversight might force change. In 2024, an investigator from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights was expected to finalize protections with local districts. After the election of Donald Trump, that visit never happened. Seven of twelve regional civil rights offices were closed, including the Dallas office handling Lubbock’s cases, and investigators were terminated.

Parents say conditions worsened quickly. “Things have absolutely gotten worse,” said Tracey Benefield, a white parent whose son witnessed repeated racial harassment. “People are more emboldened… now there’s no consequences for being racist.” According to reporting cited in the story, the Education Department has dismissed thousands of civil rights complaints this year and has not announced a single investigation into discrimination against Black students.

Advocates say the administration’s shift left families without recourse. “OCR mattered and gave people a sense of hope,” said Paige Duggins-Clay of the Intercultural Development Research Association. “And it matters that they’ve essentially destroyed it.”

The Education Department responded by blaming prior administrations, claiming it would “continue vigorously enforcing the law,” but offered no examples of new cases involving Black students.

For families like Tracy Kemp’s, the damage was lasting. After years of racial harassment, she moved her children out of state. “You add into the mix, ‘These people don’t like me because of my color,’” she said. “That’s a whole different type of aspect to have to deal with.” Others who stayed describe ongoing harm, trauma, and fear, while Gant warns that without federal accountability, “there’s no urgency to fix these issues,” leaving communities to fight alone.

Link: Texas Tribune