Disability Scoop

President Donald Trump is directing his education secretary to move forward with dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, a step that advocates say would have serious implications for students with disabilities. Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the states.” She is to do so while “ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely,” the order states. President Donald Trump is directing his education secretary to move forward with dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, a step that advocates say would have serious implications for students with disabilities. 

“If the secretary moves forward to try to dismantle ED, every child with a disability stands to be harmed when federal funding is separated from key federal requirements, when federal oversight of discrimination in education is obliterated, and when investments in education research, technical assistance/training and data collection and transparency in outcomes for children no longer exist,” said Denise S. Marshall, CEO of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates.