Kenneth L. Marcus announced on Thursday that he has stepped down as assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education.
“Today, I announced that I will be returning to private life,” tweeted Marcus. “It has been my honor to direct the talented and committed staff of @EDcivilrights and I am grateful to @POTUS & @BetsyDeVosED for trusting me with the important task of protecting our nation’s students.”
Today, I announced that I will be returning to private life. It has been my honor to direct the talented and committed staff of @EDcivilrights and I am grateful to @POTUS & @BetsyDeVosED for trusting me with the important task of protecting our nation's students.
— Kenneth L. Marcus (@KLMarcusOCR) July 9, 2020
“Throughout my tenure, @EDcivilrights has reinforced its status as a neutral, impartial civil rights law enforcement agency that fully and faithfully executes the laws as written — no more and no less—focusing carefully on the needs of each individual student,” he added. “As a result, and thanks to the hard work of staff, @Edcivilrights has achieved remarkable things during challenging times, including resolving thousands of civil rights complaints with change, and greatly reducing OCR’s backlog.”
As a result, and thanks to the hard work of staff, @Edcivilrights has achieved remarkable things during challenging times, including resolving thousands of civil rights complaints with change, and greatly reducing OCR’s backlog.
— Kenneth L. Marcus (@KLMarcusOCR) July 9, 2020
In a statement, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said that Marcus “helped drive incredible results for students by vigorously enforcing civil-rights laws, expanding protections from discrimination, and refocusing OCR on resolving cases efficiently and effectively. He has been a tremendous asset to us and an ally to students, and I will always be grateful he agreed to return to government service to join the president’s and my team. While we are sad to see him go, I know in his next professional chapter he will further build on his successful career of advocating for the civil rights of America’s students.”
During his tenure, which began following a contentious nomination battle in the U.S. Senate, Marcus was responsible for enforcing civil rights in the U.S. education system, especially on college campuses. He also administered the executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in December to combat anti-Semitism, especially on college campuses.
