Help Stop the Destruction of the Department of Education and Attacks on Schools and Students

This is a page about the United States Department of Education (ED), why it is important for children with disabilities, what the Trump Administration is doing to ED, schools, and students, and what you can do to help.

Here’s what we know:

The Department of Education or “ED” is a federal department that provides essential services to children with disabilities to help them get an education. The Trump Administration wants to get rid of ED. The Administration has fired more than 1,300 staff, including hundreds who work for the department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The Administration has cancelled many education-related grants and contracts, including $1 billion for mental health and more than $600 million for teacher training. The Administration has reversed longstanding guidance that helps school districts reduce disproportionate discipline, expulsion, and law enforcement referrals of students based on race. These changes hurt students with disabilities and students who are Black, Brown, transgender and gender nonconforming, immigrant, and low-income.

What does the Department of Education do?

ED oversees parts of education for preschool and K-12 students and students in college and other types of higher education across the United States.

ED’s OCR enforces and provides guidance on civil rights laws that bar discrimination based on race, ethnicity, sex, age and disability. OCR handles complaints that school districts are unlawfully discriminating against students or failing to accommodate them.
ED provides Title I and Head Start money to school districts with large numbers of students from low income families.
ED makes grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B, or preschool through transition age. These grants help school districts provide services and resources for students with disabilities. The department’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) implements and monitors the IDEA.
ED finances student loans and runs the income-based repayment and public service loan forgiveness programs.
ED conducts research and collects data on education, and houses the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The CRDC helps families, educators, and advocates understand whether school districts are in compliance with the civil rights laws enforced by ED OCR.

Why is the Department important for students with disabilities?

Enforcement of Civil Rights

ED enforces civil rights laws that help students with disabilities access their education. Two of those laws are Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Section 504 is a federal law that prohibits disability discrimination by any school that receives federal funds. Under Section 504, schools must provide reasonable accommodations and services that students with disabilities need to access their school day. Some students have a 504 plan that sets out necessary accommodations and/or services.

The IDEA gives students with disabilities the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). FAPE means an education tailored to the needs of a disabled student whose disability has an adverse impact on their education and needs specialized services, accommodations, and modifications to the school day to access their education. Under the IDEA, disabled students also have the right to an individual education program (IEP), which provides services to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

ED enforces other civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and sex. Many students with disabilities face barriers based on multiple statuses. Students with disabilities are often students of color. Transgender students may have disabilities and need accommodations. ED’s enforcement of all civil rights laws is important to students with disabilities.

Funding for Students with Disabilities

In 2024, the IDEA helped 7.5 million children with disabilities, and ED disbursed $15.4 billion to implement the IDEA. This funding allows school districts to hire essential staff, like special education teachers, speech therapists, or behavioral aides. It helps students get technology and learning materials for specific disabilities. These resources are critical to rural and low-income schools that may not have the local money to obtain these supports and services that are required in a student’s IEP. ED’s funding and oversight make sure students with disabilities have access to their education, especially alongside their nondisabled peers. The IDEA helps ensure disabled students are educated with their nondisabled peers and are not segregated in school.

The IDEA funds Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) like the one at DREDF. PTIs are a valuable resource for students with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities to learn about the rights their children have and to receive support in enforcing those rights.

There is a correlation between students who are low-income and students with disabilities. Title I and Head Start funds from ED are vital for students who are low-income and disabled.

ED also finances the student loans and repayment programs people need to become special education teachers, speech therapists, and other providers and advocates for students with disabilities.

Research and Data Collection

ED’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) collects and publishes data about students’ experiences at school. The CRDC provides essential data for advocates for disabled students, such as data on discipline, restraint, seclusion, expulsion, law enforcement referrals, educational settings (such as special education classrooms and schools), graduation, and test scores. Data is available at the school, district, and state level, and is broken down by race, ethnicity, sex, disability, and English Learners. The CRDC is an essential resource for families, educators, and advocates to evaluate whether and how schools and school districts are including students with disabilities.

What has happened at the Department of Education so far?

Staff Cut in Half

The Trump Administration says it will close ED. Legally, only Congress can close ED. On March 20, 2025, the Administration put out an Executive Order telling the Secretary of Education to close ED. Since the order, ED staff has been cut in half. The Secretary of ED has fired more than 1,300 staff, including hundreds who work for the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) on student loans and grants, and hundreds more who work for the OCR. Another 600 people at ED have left through resignation or retirement.

Staff at FSA help borrowers with problems with their student loans, such as problems with income-based replacement and public service loan forgiveness. Without staff, borrowers – including teachers, therapists, advocates, and lawyers who serve people with disabilities – cannot resolve their student loan problems.

Staff at OCR investigate complaints of discrimination against students and try to reach resolutions. OCR staff at headquarters in DC help write guidance on compliance with civil rights laws including Section 504. In 2024, OCR received 22,687 complaints. Before the cuts, there was already a backlog of cases at OCR. The work of OCR cannot be done without staff.

Offices Closed

Half of the ED field offices and seven of twelve regional OCR offices have closed. Fired staff in the seven OCR regional offices that were closed were working on almost 7,000 cases – including more than 3,300 complaints of disability discrimination. Remaining staff have more than double the caseload. Students and families who have filed civil rights complaints cannot reach staff and face extended delays in having their matter considered. Educators cannot reach staff to seek guidance on important matters of education and civil rights for students.

Funds Cut

The Administration has cancelled many education-related grants and contracts. They have cut $1 billion for mental health and more than $600 million for teacher training.

Rejection of Civil Rights Enforcement

On April 23, 2025, the Administration put out an Executive Order that reversed a longstanding guidance document that helps school districts reduce disproportionate discipline, expulsion, and law enforcement referrals of students based on race. This change will likely increase disciplinary actions against disabled students of color.

In February 2025, ED released a “Dear Colleague” letter to public school districts and higher education institutions that suggests that “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs – sometimes referred to as “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA) programs – are unlawful and should not exist. These programs can help disabled students including disabled students of color stay in school.

What could happen next?

The Administration has announced that it will transfer parts of ED to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including services for disabled students. HHS expertise is in providing healthcare, not education. Giving IDEA funds to HHS does not turn healthcare providers into educators or give them the expertise that PTIs have in providing technical assistance to schools, states, and parents. Disability activists and advocates fought for decades to gain access to mainstream education outside of medical institutions and other segregated settings. Children don’t belong in nursing homes or other institutions, and the enforcement of IDEA doesn’t belong at HHS.

The Administration has said that it wants to eliminate Head Start, a program which serves low-income children and must serve at least 10 percent children with disabilities. The administration has already closed nearly half of the regional offices serving local providers; Head Start agencies have sued.

How do these changes and threats harm disabled students?

Students with disabilities face many barriers at school. This is particularly true for students with disabilities who are from immigrant families, transgender or gender non-conforming, Black, Brown, and Indigenous and who live in rural communities. Students and families have less access to support from ED because of the Executive Orders and cuts to ED staff. These changes now limit the ability of ED to:

investigate civil rights and disability rights violations;
help students with disabilities and families get the services they need to access school and school activities;
give guidance to schools and teachers about how to follow the law;
monitor school performance and ensure students are getting a quality education;
help higher education students manage their student loans;
conduct research on educational outcomes to track success and measure how changes in education impact students across the country

Destroying ED will harm students with disabilities and their families. It will weaken and prevent the enforcement of key disability and civil rights laws and reduce critically needed resources.

The drastic changes to education by the current Administration and some members of Congress will significantly impact historically marginalized communities.

Destroying ED will increase disparities for disabled students, particularly students who are transgender or gender non-conforming, Black, Brown, and Indigenous, those for whom English is a second language, and/or live in rural areas.

How do the changes at ED relate to other actions by the Administration?

The actions of the Administration against ED combine with other actions to harm Native and immigrant students. Education for Native American students, particularly those with disabilities, is already underfunded. With the loss of funding and staff at ED and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Native American students with disabilities will have even fewer opportunities to obtain an appropriate education. Recently, several Tribal Nations and Native students brought a lawsuit to challenge the reduction of staff at the BIE.

In addition, law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are going to public schools to attempt to remove immigrant students and staff and revoking the visas of higher education students. Teachers and students are stepping up to protect immigrant students.

Do students with disabilities still have rights?

Yes! Actions by the Administration do not change or repeal civil rights laws that have been in place for decades, such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the IDEA, or the ADA. Students still have these rights. Changes at ED do not change a student’s IEP, 504 plan, or other accommodations at school. Every student still has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Every student still has the right to be included and receive an education. Every student has the right to be safe at school.

What can I do to help?

Contact your members of Congress or tell your story.

Send a Letter or Tell Your Story

To send a letter automatically to all of your representatives at once, use this letter sending tool from the Council of Parent Advocate Attorneys (COPAA) or Take Action tools from the Council for Exceptional Children to write a letter or tell your story.

You can also send a letter to Congress asking them to oppose cuts to education, health care, and food assistance that will hurt our communities by using this Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights tool.

Call your Member of Congress

Use the script below to talk to Congressional offices on the phone. Add some personal information into the message text if you would like.

Tell your elected officials, “Protect Our Students!”

Use this search tool to find out who your elected officials are.
Fill in your address.
Select “Federal Officials.”
Select each of the names listed.
The contact information for your representatives will appear.
Call the phone number listed, and use the sample call script.

Send Your Own Letter

Go to the representative’s website that is listed in the search tool. Select “Contact.” Either send the letter to the email address listed or fill out the contact form. Then, copy and paste your letter into the “Message” field.

Letter Script

How to use this letter:

Delete the italicized text and fill in your own personal information.
You can leave the normal text in the letter.
Fill in or delete the [bracketed and bolded text] before sending the letter.

Dear [Senator or Representative Name],

[Say who you are] My name is [your name]. I live in [your city], [your state], and I have a disability. I have [say more about your disability].

[Say why you support the Department of Education – give personal examples] I care deeply about education, students and teachers. The accommodations and services I received helped me to succeed in school and become independent. I am proud of what I have accomplished and I could not have gotten to this point without the support I received in school.

[Say why moving Department of Education programs to other agencies and cuts are bad]

Disability activists fought for decades to gain access to mainstream education outside of medical institutions. A disability does not turn a child from a student into a little patient. Children don’t belong in nursing homes, and enforcement of education-related civil rights laws does not belong at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or other agencies.

Cuts to the Department of Education are unacceptable. The Department provides more than $15 billion in grants to support special education and schools with high concentrations of students experiencing poverty, including rural areas and schools with high representation of students with disabilities. The Department also funds Parent Training and Information Centers across the country that provide free services to families of children and young adults to understand their rights, participate effectively in the special education process, advocate for needed support and services, and solve school problems.

[Say how cuts to the Department of Education will hurt people with disabilities] I want you to do everything in your power to prevent Department of Education programs from being transferred to the HHS and to prevent cuts to funding. Schools rely on federal funds to support disabled students, pay special education teachers and professionals, and buy technology and materials that students and teachers need daily. Children and young adults with disabilities are curious about the world and capable of learning. We should not let them down now.

[If you want, ask for a meeting] I want you to meet with me and other people with disabilities. We want to talk to you about why education is important to us.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Call Script

My name is [your name]. I live in [your city, your state]. My address is [your address].

I am a person with a disability. [Say more about your disability].

I care about children, youth, families and teachers. The Department of Education has helped classrooms become more inclusive, progress has been made in protecting students with disabilities, and society has learned to set high standards for disabled students. The Department provides schools and states with essential funding, technical assistance, research, and oversight for students with all types of disabilities and their teachers. I worry about the future of our children. Please do not vote to transfer Department of Education programs to other agencies or cut funding or existing programs in any way! Thank you.