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Education

Trump Administration's Mass Layoffs at Department of Education Leave Vulnerable Students at Risk

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The mass layoffs at the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services have left employees concerned that there is nobody to oversee billions in funding for special needs students across the U.S. According to employees, the office had set up for federal money to be dispersed for special education, but the lack of oversight will lead to a disaster. The layoffs come as the Trump administration has been targeting the Department of Education, with President Trump threatening to lay off employees and following through on those threats.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration has eliminated almost the entire staff at the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, leaving 466 employees without jobs.
  • The office was responsible for administering about $15.1 billion worth of money to ensure that students with disabilities receive a "free appropriate public education" as codified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
  • A federal judge in California temporarily halted the layoffs, but the consequences of the mass layoffs are already being felt by employees and parents of children with disabilities.
  • Employees warn that the lack of oversight will lead to a disaster, as there is no one to ensure that the billions in funding for special education reach those who need it.
  • The Education Department's press office sent an out-of-office email blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, but Education Secretary Linda McMahon has maintained that education funding is not impacted by the layoffs.
  • A mother of a child with dyslexia and another non-speaking autistic child, Anne Hayes, fears for the outcomes for her children and believes that the layoffs will disproportionately hurt students in red states.
  • Students with disabilities have been entitled to a free appropriate public education until the age of 21 since President Gerald Ford passed the Education for Handicapped Children Act in 1975, which was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act when President George H.W. Bush reauthorized it in 1990.

Statistics:

  • $15.1 billion: The amount of money administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to ensure that students with disabilities receive a "free appropriate public education".
  • 466: The number of employees laid off from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
  • 1975: The year in which President Gerald Ford passed the Education for Handicapped Children Act, which entitled students with disabilities to a free appropriate public education until the age of 21.
  • 1990: The year in which President George H.W. Bush reauthorized the Education for Handicapped Children Act, renaming it the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
  • 2004: The year in which President George W. Bush reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Sources:

  • The Independent
  • ABC News
  • USA Today
  • American Federation of Government Employees
  • Education Secretary Linda McMahon's tweet
  • REUTERS
  • AP

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