USA Today

When U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon claimed in USA TODAY that the recent government shutdown showed “how little the Department of Education will be missed,” she overlooked the damage done to the nation’s students, especially those with disabilities, who learn and think differently. For students with disabilities, the impacts of the shutdown were real and immediate:

• Civil rights investigations were paused or delayed.
• Grant reviews and awards stalled.
• Technical assistance to states – including 18 states with new special education directors – halted at a critical moment.

These are not disposable bureaucratic tasks, as McMahon claimed. They are federal responsibilities that ensure students receive what the law promises.