The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened far fewer sexual‑violence investigations since the current administration’s staffing and policy changes, the Associated Press reports. OCR historically opened dozens of Title IX sexual‑assault probes annually; under the new leadership and after substantial layoffs, the office has initiated fewer than 10 such investigations in the recent period, while its backlog of complaints has swollen to tens of thousands. The agency’s focus has shifted toward discrimination cases tied to transgender athlete participation and other emergent civil‑rights questions, prompting attorneys and advocacy groups to warn that survivors have fewer federal avenues for redress. Legal experts say the slowdown means many student complainants will need to pursue private litigation or local remedies, lengthening timelines and increasing costs for institutions and survivors alike. The change matters for compliance officers and counsel: reduced federal oversight does not remove legal risk. Institutions still face lawsuits, state investigations, and reputational exposure, and many are revising internal Title IX procedures in response to both the enforcement retrenchment and new categories of OCR inquiries.