John,

The Trump administration is in the midst of their push to dismantle the Department of Education by transferring its programs to other federal agencies.¹

By federal law, only Congress has the authority to change the department's responsibilities. This is yet another illegal, authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration.

Congress must act and stop this illegal maneuver before it’s too late. Donate $5 today to power our advocacy and activism to prevent the destruction of the Department of Education, which serves children in every state and every community in the U.S.

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The Department of Education’s proposal would place the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Department of Labor, which makes no sense. They shift programs for students with disabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services. This would put oversight and educational services for students with disabilities, students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students experiencing homelessness, students in foster care, English language learners, and more at risk. Congress must do its duty and stop the administration from gutting this vital department. We’re mobilizing our partners to stop this―and we need your support.

Donate $5 to fund our work fighting against the dismantling of the Department of Education.

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We must stand up against this betrayal of millions of public school students across the country. Public education―a cornerstone of our democracy―is at risk. Thank you for all you do,

Meredith Dodson
Senior Director of Public Policy, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ 60+ Civil Rights and Education Organizations’ Joint Statement on the Illegal Transferring of Key Roles and Responsibilities from the U.S. Department of Education

-- DEBORAH'S EMAIL --

John,

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the law that governs special education in public schools. But with Trump dismantling the Department of Education, he’s simultaneously attacking special education in our schools.

Before IDEA became law, 1.8 million children with special needs were denied access to public education; now 7.6 million children receive special education and related services and can dream about their futures.¹ Now that access―and the very rights of students―is at risk. At the beginning of his administration, Donald Trump gutted the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education by cutting its staff in half and closing 7 of the 12 regional offices. Most of the complaints lodged with the office involved disability and sex-based discrimination.²

The attacks on special education are egregious and must be stopped.

Donate $5 to power our campaign to defend special education in our schools and the millions of students and families who rely on it.

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This administration's plans to break off pieces and programs under the Department of Education's purview and ship them to other federal agencies are unacceptable. One of the plans includes sending special education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services, thereby removing them from the supervision of education experts.³

There was a reason the Department of Education and IDEA were created in the first place. The dismantling of the Department of Education will only ensure that vulnerable students won’t get the help and support they need.

Donate $5 today to help us advocate for education access for all children and teens. As the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act turns 50, we can’t go backwards to a time when students with special needs were not guaranteed equal access to education.