Disability Scoop

The nation has a new Secretary of Education, and she’s angling to free her department from its special education obligations. The U.S. Senate voted 51 to 45 along party lines this week to confirm Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education. The move comes despite opposition from many disability advocates concerned by McMahon’s limited knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and her plans for the special education program. During confirmation hearings, the former WWE executive was short on specifics when asked what IDEA promises students with disabilities, and she repeatedly suggested to senators that oversight of the program should no longer be housed within the Education Department. “Special education, I think it very well could go back to HHS where it started,” McMahon said, referencing the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, McMahon proposed moving the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which handles complaints of disability discrimination in schools, to the Justice Department.