U.S. Department of Education Brings Back Employees On Administrative Leave

On December 5, 2025, the Department of Education ordered the return of employees in the Office for Civil Rights who had been subjected to the March reduction in force (RIF). The employees had been on administrative leave pending lawsuits challenging the RIFs. According to the Federal News Network, which obtained a copy of the letter sent to employees, the staff were asked to return to address the Office for Civil Rights's backlog of approximately 25,000 discrimination complaint cases.