Many of the office’s cases over the decades have served as a catalyst for broader policy change and social reforms.

With a mass email sharing what it called “difficult news,” the U.S. Department of Education has eroded one of its own key duties, abolishing more than half of the offices that investigate civil rights complaints from students and their families.

The Trump administration’s deep cuts at the department hit some offices harder than others, but the effects will likely be felt by students, families and institutions across the country.