A wave of Department of Education staff cuts has hollowed out offices that oversee college access and civil‑rights enforcement. Reporting and union documents show the department moved to eliminate significant numbers of employees in the Office of Postsecondary Education and the Office for Civil Rights, with notices setting last days for affected staff and prompting concerns about disruptions to TRIO programs, Impact Aid and civil‑rights investigations. Advocates warned the cuts will disrupt services that support low‑income and historically underserved students and could leave colleges without federal contacts during a period of heightened regulatory changes. The reductions come amid a parallel round of October layoffs tied to the government shutdown; legal challenges and court orders have temporarily altered the timeline for some reductions, but education advocates say planning uncertainty and staff shortages are already affecting grant administration and complaint resolution.