Disability Scoop

The Trump administration is moving forward with sweeping plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, a move advocates say will disproportionately affect students with disabilities. A Supreme Court order earlier this week cleared the way for the Education Department to lay off nearly 1,400 employees, which would leave the agency with about half the number of workers it had at the start of the year.

Already, advocates say that students with disabilities have been affected by changes at the Education Department under Trump. “We know these deep cuts have impacted the civil rights investigations, and it appears they are dismissing many complaints,” said Denise S. Marshall, CEO of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, or COPAA, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of students with disabilities and their families. In addition, she said that cuts will “negatively affect data collection and training.”