Tell Congress to Stop the Transfer of Disability and Civil Rights Offices Out of the Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it is transferring the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and moving the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). NDSC strongly opposes these transfers.

OSERS includes the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which oversees the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), which oversees vocational rehabilitation and employment services. Together with OCR, these offices help protect the educational opportunities, employment supports, and civil rights of millions of people with disabilities. Moving OSERS to HHS would undermine decades of progress by treating disability primarily as a health issue rather than an education issue. Students with disabilities are students first, not patients. They belong in our schools and deserve access to the same educational opportunities, high expectations, and protections as all students. Moving OCR to DOJ will distance civil rights enforcement from the education system, making it more difficult for students and families to obtain timely resolutions of claims of discrimination in schools.

Congress created these offices via statute and placed them within the Department of Education. NDSC believes these transfers are contrary to federal law and congressional intent and should not move forward. Only Congress can permanently move these offices, and NDSC strongly opposes any effort to do so.

NDSC is calling on Congress to immediately hold bipartisan public hearings to fully examine the educational, employment, civil rights, legal, and practical consequences of these transfers. Congress needs to hear directly from students with disabilities, families, educators, service providers, and communities about the real-world harms these changes will have.

For more than 50 years, IDEA and other disability programs have helped people with disabilities learn, work, live independently, and participate fully in their communities. We cannot allow decades of progress toward inclusion, opportunity, and equal rights to be rolled back. #DontTurnBackTheClock #Downsyndrome

Take Action Now

Please contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and urge them to:

• Oppose the transfer of OSERS to HHS and OCR to DOJ.

• Demand that the Administration halt implementation of these transfers.

• Hold immediate bipartisan public hearings on the impact these actions would have on people with disabilities and their families.

Most importantly, share your personal story. Tell Congress how IDEA, vocational rehabilitation services, or civil rights protections, have affected your life or the life of someone you love. Personal stories are the most powerful advocacy tool we have.