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Education Department Quietly Eliminates Rules for Teaching English Language Learners

The move accelerates President Donald Trump's executive order declaring English the nation's "official language."

August 20, 2025, 6:00 a.m. EDT

The Trump administration has quietly withdrawn landmark guidance requiring schools to accommodate English language learners, alarming advocates who fear schools will stop offering assistance if the federal government stops enforcing laws requiring it.

This move, confirmed by the Education Department, is part of several moves to reduce support for the approximately 5 million children in schools who are not fluent in English, many of whom were born in the U.S. It is also an initial step in a broader effort to eliminate multilingual services in federal agencies, pushed by the Department of Justice.

These actions accelerate Trump's March 1 executive order declaring English the official language and coincide with a broader administration crackdown on immigration, including deportations.

Since March, the Department of Education has laid off nearly all staff at the Office of English Language Acquisition and called on Congress to end funding for federal programs that help educate English language learners. The guidance on English language instruction was labeled "withdrawn" and remains online only "for historical purposes."

The Department of Education said the guidance was withdrawn because it "is not aligned with administration policy." The Department of Justice, which also oversees enforcement of these laws, said it will create new guidance to prioritize English, explaining when multilingual assistance is still needed.

For decades, the federal government has considered failing to provide resources to those who are not fluent in English to be discrimination based on national origin, under the Civil Rights Act (Title VI). By withdrawing this guidance, the Trump administration signals that it may stop enforcing that interpretation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that treating those who are not fluent in English differently does not necessarily constitute national origin discrimination. The Department of Justice is also suspending other language access guidance and promises new rules in mid-January to "promote assimilation over division."

Advocates fear that this withdrawal will pave the way for lower quality education for English learners and weaken decades of legal protections.

Some school districts may stop offering these services, especially those with financial problems.

In recent months, the Department of Justice released some districts (Boston, Newark, Worcester) from federal oversight to ensure services for English language learners.

Supporters of immigration restrictions welcome the idea of easing pressure on schools to offer these services.

Groups such as U.S. English recognizes the need for support for non-English speaking students but believes that multilingualism can hinder early English language instruction.

Obligations to serve English language learners stem from two federal laws: the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, both interpreted by landmark rulings stating that schools must provide English language instruction.

The guidance withdrawn in 2015 explained how schools must comply with these laws.

Experts and advocates point out that without this guidance and federal pressure, instruction for English language learners could be weakened, which would be a significant setback.