At every turn, this administration has betrayed working people and taken away information, opportunity, access, and financial security. Drastically reducing the Department of Education is another example of this. Education is central to eliminating barriers to economic and social opportunities, including providing access to community and healthcare resources and lifting people out of poverty. A robust education system is critical for a functioning democracy. This cut will be felt across the country, and for years to come.
The Department of Education provides critical resources and oversight that benefit all children. This is especially critical for students in rural and low-income communities and students with special needs among others. Cutting the department’s workforce in half and shuttering offices of the department around the country will have devastating consequences for services related to Title I funding, Pell grants, student loans, and more. Several state attorneys general and advocates for students with disabilities have already filed lawsuits to prevent funding cuts from going into effect that this administration has already sought to implement.
The Department of Education also enforces rules around civil rights. That includes Title IX, which prevents discrimination in federally funded education on the basis of sex. Title IX has also been crucial in ensuring equality in athletics programs and overseeing how schools handle sexual harassment and sexual violence. The Department also enforces the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which will be catastrophic for students with disabilities
To pull support and drastically scale back the role of this department is callous and will lead to serious harm for all children and families. Regardless of political party or ideology, many children rely on the services of the Department of Education. This reckless gutting of a critical agency will negatively impact the safety and educational quality of every public-school student in this country.
-NCLR President, Imani Rupert-Gordon
