As federal civil rights protections continue to face significant rollbacks, Loyola Law School’s Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC) is joining advocates across California in urging the state to strengthen how students’ educational rights are protected and enforced.
YJEC is among the advocacy organizations behind a newly released policy report, Strengthening Civil Rights Enforcement in California Schools: A Call for Sacramento to Fill the Gap Created by Washington, D.C., led by the Mills Legal Clinic at Stanford Law School, and developed in collaboration with organizations working directly with students and families across the state. The report examines the growing strain on educational civil rights enforcement following major reductions to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and outlines recommendations for how California can strengthen accountability, transparency, and enforcement at the state level.
The report arrives at a critical moment for California schools. Among its recommendations are increased investment in the state’s complaint and enforcement infrastructure, expanded state intervention authority in discrimination cases, stronger interagency coordination, and improved public transparency around civil rights data and complaint outcomes.
As part of this broader effort, YJEC is also co-sponsoring AB 1861, legislation aimed at increasing transparency around special education complaints in California. The bill would require the California Department of Education to create a publicly accessible database of investigation reports related to procedural special education violations, while protecting student privacy through redaction requirements.
Testifying before the California State Assembly Education Committee in support of the bill, YJEC Director Vivian Wong emphasized the growing urgency of state-level accountability mechanisms as federal enforcement pathways weaken.
“With the dismantling of the federal Office of Civil Rights, many families are left without legal recourse to address disability discrimination, so they turn to the California Department of Education. Now more than ever, our community needs to trust our state to enforce the education rights of students with disabilities.”
— Vivian Wong, YJEC Director
Advanced YJEC student Starre Williams ’26 had the opportunity to travel join Professor Wong to Sacramento and provide comment in support of AB 1861. The hearing also featured testimony from families, advocates, and students describing the barriers many parents face when navigating California’s special education complaint system and the importance of accessible public information in advancing accountability and systemic reform.
For YJEC, the work reflects the clinic’s broader mission to advocate alongside students and families navigating inequities in the education system while helping shape policies that expand educational access, dignity, and opportunity.
Access the Resources
- Watch the Testimony: California State Assembly Education Committee
- Read the Report: Strengthening Civil Rights Enforcement in California Schools
Learn more about the work of Loyola’s Youth Justice Education Clinic.
Read about the statewide coalition effort to strengthen educational civil rights enforcement, cofounded by Disability Rights California.