Glenn Agre Receives VRLC Champion Award
Glenn Agre Champion Award recognizes the firm’s work for students in a Department of Education civil rights case.
Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP has received the 2026 Champion Award from the Victim Rights Law Center for representing three students, their families, and VRLC in a complaint against the U.S. Department of Education. The firm’s work was led by Reid Skibell, Jon Friedman, and Megan Reilly. The complaint challenged mass terminations at the Department’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR. The award was presented at VRLC’s Shining Star Celebration on October 1, 2026, at Artists for Humanity EpiCenter in Boston.
Challenge to OCR Terminations
Glenn Agre partnered with Sean Ouellette, a former senior attorney at Public Justice who is now at Democracy Forward, to file the complaint in March 2025 on behalf of VRLC and the students. The release said the Trump Administration had closed seven regional OCR offices, leaving the office with limited capacity to address student discrimination cases involving sexual assault, racist harassment, and disability-related bullying.
The case received coverage from The New Yorker. Following briefing and a hearing, the federal court issued a preliminary injunction halting the reduction in force.
Award for Student Advocacy
The Champion Award recognizes Glenn Agre’s work with VRLC and the students in the Department of Education complaint. Friedman accepted the award during the VRLC ceremony.
“We are honored to have had the opportunity to partner with such a vital organization in standing up for students' civil rights. Students have a fundamental right to feel safe from discrimination and harassment in school, and the OCR's mass termination left bullied students with nowhere to turn. We are proud to have played a role in demanding that the Department of Education fulfill its obligation to protect students.”
Federal Government Agreement
After further litigation, the federal government agreed to rehire the terminated employees and reopen the closed OCR offices. Skibell also accepted the award for the firm.
“This case is a prime example of how impactful the legal system can be in protecting basic civil rights. So often, those facing discrimination feel as if no one is in their corner, and these students had little recourse but to turn to the VRLC in order to be heard. It is our duty to ensure every client has a voice, no matter what powerful entities they may be up against. We are grateful to the VRLC for the opportunity to work on a case with such vital, far-reaching implications.”
Recognition for the Team
The award marks Glenn Agre’s role in the case brought with VRLC, Ouellette, the students, and their families. The litigation resulted in a preliminary injunction against the reduction in force and a later agreement to rehire affected employees and reopen the regional offices.
From an announcement by Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes.
