The Education Department’s civil rights branch is losing nearly half its staff in the Trump administration’s layoffs, effectively gutting an office that already faced a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families across the nation. Among a total of more than 1,300 layoffs announced Tuesday were roughly 240 in the department’s Office for Civil Rights, according to a list obtained and verified by The Associated Press. Associated Press education reporter Moriah Balingit says that many people rely on the education department. “It handles more than a trillion dollars in student loans and grants – and there are nearly 43 million Americans who have them. It also oversees billions of dollars in funding for K-12 schools. And finally, it ensures that the civil rights of students are being safeguarded. So when a student with a disability is being denied accommodations – or a Latino student is facing racist harassment – the department steps in and makes things right,” Balingit said. Advocates are concerned students will have to pay the price of layoffs in the end.