USA Today

The Department of Education is in the early stages of recruiting another agency to help oversee federal special education programs, a spokeswoman said. The potential transfer of responsibilities follows the Education Department’s layoff of nearly everyone in its special education division more than a week ago. The impending move would represent one of the most significant steps yet in President Donald Trump’s efforts to decrease the influence of the Education Department. And it creates a slew of new questions for families of students with disabilities about whether a significant overhaul at the federal level could impact them. It also emphasizes how recent court rulings and little GOP pushback have emboldened the Trump administration to functionally dismantle the Education Department, despite legal scrutiny of the White House’s authority to do so.