The U.S. Department of Education announced sweeping layoffs on October 11, as reported widely in the news. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) have been almost completely eliminated in this round of cuts. This comes after major layoffs earlier this spring that already reduced the Department’s workforce by nearly half.

These layoffs remove the staff who make sure the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is followed in schools. That means the rights of children with disabilities and their families are at serious risk. Without OSEP, IDEA is in danger of being undermined. We urge you to contact Congress and ask them to reverse these cuts for the sake of children with disabilities, their families, and the teachers and staff who support them.

A wide group of disability, civil rights, and education organizations is raising the alarm. These layoffs have cut critical offices that protect children and adults with disabilities—including OSEP, RSA, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)—and threaten decades of progress in education, inclusion, and employment.

These actions put important laws in jeopardy, including IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Without enough staff to oversee these laws, the Department cannot provide the guidance, support, or oversight that schools need. Millions of students could lose access to a free, appropriate public education, and adults with disabilities could lose vocational rehabilitation services that help them find work and live independently.

This year is the 50th anniversary of IDEA, a law that has had strong bipartisan support for five decades. IDEA implementation has since been monitored and overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. Instead of celebrating progress, we now face a crisis—the breakdown of the system and potential movement to a new Department, very much unlike Congress's intent to ensure all children with disabilities can learn, grow, and succeed.

NOW is the time to contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives using our ACTION ALERT to urge them to undo these cuts for the sake of children with disabilities, their families, and the educators who serve them.

See this fact sheet on the Federal vs. State Role in Special Education.

See this fact sheet on how the Department of Ed is essential for students with disabilities. 

See more in our joint statement.