The Justice Department’s education enforcement apparatus has been reworked under the current administration, with dozens of career staff leaving and the Civil Rights Division recalibrating case selection and priorities. Advocates say this shift is visible in fewer high‑impact investigations and a diminished role for the previously influential Educational Opportunities Section. Maryland’s earlier seclusion and restraint investigations were cited as examples of federal enforcement prompting state policy change; attorneys and disability advocates warn that the new posture could slow similar accountability work. The changes will affect how colleges and K–12 systems interpret compliance risk and respond to civil‑rights complaints.