What We Can Do About Trump’s Attacks on Special Education

Trump’s cuts to the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is not only an attack on the methods of public education, but also an attack on the civil rights of students with disabilities, including their right to a free and appropriate public education. Trump has illegally fired seemingly all employees in OSERS, preventing the important work of ensuring students with disabilities are protected from getting done. OSERS ensures that states are following federal law when it comes to providing special education to students with disabilities, and can even investigate states which may not be in compliance. This is all part of Trump’s plan to “return education to the states” by dismantling the Department of Education. 

Trump has long been attacking the federal Department of Education. This newest blow is dangerous and harmful to not only students with disabilities and their families, but everyone. Without the protections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, there is no guarantee that states must provide students with disabilities with a fair and appropriate public education. This is why it’s so important for California to reform Proposition 13. Here in California, we have state legislation to protect the right to education of students with disabilities. However, it is difficult to provide special education without funding from the federal government, which isn’t guaranteed. We must reform Prop. 13 to restore $17 billion every year to our California school districts, allowing them to fund special education without relying on the federal government.

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Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education

By Cory Turner | October 13th, 2025 | NPR