Civil and Human Rights Coalition Reacts to Final Accountability Regulations

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president and director of policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement in response to the Department of Education’s release of its plan to enforce the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA):

“Without clear and robust regulations, the purpose of the law to ‘provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps’ will not be fulfilled and historically marginalized students will continue to be denied the opportunity they deserve.  While there are areas of the final regulation that fall short, the final rule includes important protections to support students and is essential to the successful and inclusive implementation of the law in a way that is consistent with its civil rights legacy.  Low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities and English learners deserve the full protection of the U.S. Department of Education and we will continue to fight for that right.”  

Nancy Zirkin is the executive vice president and director of policy at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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