Urge Congress to Protect Students with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education (the “Department”) is in imminent danger of being weakened and dismantled by proposed Executive Orders, staffing reductions, and legislation in Congress.

In March 2025, the Department lost about half its workforce through early retirement offers or Reductions in Force (RIFs). The RIFs resulted in 1,300 individuals being laid off from the Department—including many in the Office of Civil Rights, which safeguards the civil rights of students with disabilities —and 7 of the Department’s regional offices will be closed.

President Trump has also signed an Executive Order calling on the Secretary of Education to take all necessary steps, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, to facilitate the closure of the Department and return authority over education to the States and local communities.

While the Department cannot be closed without congressional approval, legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would abolish the Department. Removing federal oversight of critical civil rights laws, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), leaves students vulnerable to state variation and being denied their rights and education. The IDEA is the federal law that guarantees a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities must continue to receive support from a department whose roles and functions are designed to ensure that every student can achieve academically.

All these actions would have disastrous consequences, especially for students with disabilities. Specifically, these actions could result in the loss of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 504 plans, and civil rights protections under the IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as the loss of billions of dollars in funding for special education services and programs.

Tell Congress to protect students with disabilities by opposing efforts to dismantle the Department and preserving IDEA programs under its jurisdiction.

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