Trump’s Attack on Special Education Stopped – For Now
|
|
|
Last Friday, Trump’s Department of Education (US ED) attempted to use the government shutdown as cover to fire nearly 500 staffers, including almost every employee in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, as well as workers in the Title I unit and Office of Civil Rights. The US ED Office of Special Education funds $15 billion in special education services annually across the US and implements and enforces the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a landmark 1975 law that ensures all students, regardless of disability, receive a free and appropriate education.
|
| |
|
Stopped for now: Thankfully, these layoffs have been temporarily paused by a federal judge, who criticized the Trump administration’s “ready, fire, aim” approach to laying off staff and emphasized that the result is “a human cost that cannot be tolerated.” Unfortunately, this is not the end of this fight. The judge is yet to issue a permanent ban on the firings, and even if she does, the Trump administration is likely to appeal the decision up the judicial chain to the Supreme Court, which gave the green light to the Trump administration’s first round of layoffs this summer.
|
“For those of us in special education, this isn’t just a staffing change. It signals that disabled individuals’ civil rights are under threat.” |
|
|
She went on to explain: “We tend to forget that before 1975, over a million students with disabilities were routinely excluded or institutionalized. As a society, through IDEA, we agreed that disability rights are civil rights. But when we gut the very agency that enforces those protections, we open the door for individual states to decide who is “worthy” of schooling.
Here in Southern Arizona, this dismantling cannot be separated from race, language, or poverty. When federal support vanishes, it’s not just disabled students who lose access. It’s often students of color, Indigenous students, queer students, multilingual learners, and those from low-income or rural families whose identities intersect with disability.
In Pima County, many schools already operate with limited staff and outdated materials. Special education services are not ‘extras.’ They are the bridge between exclusion and participation. When that bridge weakens, our entire educational system becomes less equitable and less like the society I want to live in.” |
|
|
All in the plan: Make no mistake — these mass firings are all in line with Project 2025’s plan to convert funding to "no-strings" block grants. Project 2025’s plan explicitly shifts funding from the IDEA into formula block grants, which are given directly to local school districts or parents. This would remove civil rights protections associated with these dollars, limit federal oversight of how the funds are used, and be used to siphon more dollars from public schools through vouchers for private education services. Private services lack quality standards, lack public accountability for how the funds are spent, and have zero federal oversight and legal protections for students with disabilities.
|
|
|
🔥 This past week, one of SOSAZ’s rockstar organizers, Raquel Mamani, was featured on PBS NewsHour to discuss Arizona’s universal ESA voucher program! Here’s some of what Raquel shared: “If we're talking about competition, it's just not a fair competition…. If we're talking about using taxpayer dollars and healthy competition, then we should all be playing by the same rules. They should be accepting every student that presents to their door, just like in a public school. You should have clear and transparent accountability for how you use the money.”
The story also features a fantastic interview with Deer Valley Unified Superintendent Curt Finch, and an interview with Superintendent Horne, which features this telling exchange: |
|
|
PBS NewsHour Reporter Stephanie Sy: Which schools and homeschools are allowed to accept ESA funds from families? AZ Superintendent Tom Horne: Well, there are no restrictions. Sy: Anyone? Horne: Yes.
Sy: So I could start a school with no teaching qualifications and get money from families in Arizona, taxpayer money, taxpayer money?
Horne: If there are parents crazy enough to send their kids to you. |
|
|
We encourage you to watch and share the full story here! |
|
|
📬Ballots are HERE: Check your mailbox! Ballots are arriving across the state — and you might have a critical school election on yours. |
🗳️Vote Yes! 36 different school districts are going out for special bond, override, and budget increase measures to ensure local funding for schools so that students and educators can have the resources they need to be successful and safe. We urge you to Vote YES on all school funding measures! 🗳️Arizona students and educators are counting on you.
|
|
|
👟☎️ We Need Your Help! Volunteer to get the word out for Bonds & Overrides by checking out these opportunities below. You can make calls from anywhere in the state, and might consider driving to a neighboring district to knock doors. AZ students need us, so it’s all hands on deck! |
| |
💥📚 Book Club TODAY! Join us virtually on Sundays, October 19 & November 16 from 4-5 pm to discuss “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created A Culture War and Sold School Vouchers” by Josh Cowen! No pressure to finish the book — just come for the conversation. Let’s read, reflect, and build power for Arizona’s public schools!
🎉 The author, Dr. Josh Cowen, will attend TODAY, during the Oct. 19th meeting to launch the book club discussion — sign up ASAP as space will be limited! |
|
|
💥📲 Help Call Young Voters – IN PERSON! Join a coalition of Arizona youth organizations to make critical calls to Gen Z voters! We are phone banking to engage young voters across the state in their local bond and override races ahead of the November election. This week, we’ll be meeting in person with pizza and drinks! Register here for the address – no experience necessary, all training will be provided. Can’t join us in person? We will still have a Zoom option available – register for the Zoom here.
|
|
|
💥☎️ Register Voters on Thursdays! Want to help new voters? Join us for a virtual phone bank every Thursday from 4-5:30 pm to help voters get registered! Training is provided — all experience levels are welcome! |
⛰️Northern Arizona Inclusive Schools Summit: Join our friends at JustSchools for an Inclusive Schools Summit for Northern Arizona! The event is for teachers and school staff, trusted adults and parents, and youth. Every attendee will get 3 workshops, networking, and a youth panel with a keynote speaker. Lunch is included and the event is FREE!! |
|
|
Our newsletters don’t write themselves! Support our work by becoming a paid subscriber to Save Our Schools Arizona’s Substack. A monthly or annual donation of any amount helps to keep the lights on at the Weekly Education Report so we can provide you with the latest news in education week after week. |
|
|
Contact Us
[email protected] Save Our Schools Arizona
PO Box 28370
Tempe, AZ 85285
United States Paid for by Save Our Schools Arizona. Not authorized by any candidate. |
|
|
|
