NCLD Response to GAO report on OCR

Washington, D.C. — February 2, 2026

Statement from the National Center for Learning Disabilities

The information coming to light from the GAO report released today raises serious concerns not only about civil rights enforcement, but about fiscal responsibility and basic governance.

For nearly 10 months, civil rights investigators were paid not to do their jobs as litigation continued, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. Students and families didn’t benefit from that spending while cases stalled, backlogs grew, and communication was limited. Families waited, with no clear answers about what was happening to their cases. For students with disabilities, OCR is a backstop for families when schools don’t follow Section 504 or the ADA. Weakening that office has direct, real-world consequences in classrooms and on campuses.

The Administration also shut down public reporting on OCR’s workload while enforcement stalled. The only reason the public has any sense of what was happening is that the internal data was forced into the open through litigation. This data paints a troubling picture of complaints being closed out without meaningful review. When families can’t see how the system is working, trust breaks down.

These moves went forward without the basic cost and savings analysis that federal rules require. When decisions affect a civil rights office and the students who depend on it, there should be precise planning and transparency from the start, not confusion and courtroom battles.

Strong enforcement is central to ensuring civil rights laws actually protect students. NCLD is calling for transparency to be restored, taxpayer dollars to be responsibly managed, and the Office for Civil Rights to be stabilized so it can do the job it exists to do.