BUZZ
More downsizing is coming at the U.S. Department of Education.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights duties will shift to the Justice Department and its special education office to the Department of Health and Human Services, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. The information came from three unnamed individuals familiar with the plans.
The department itself also announced “partnerships” between HHS and the Justice Department in a news release Tuesday, stating that the changes are part of the Trump administration’s goal to “reduce federal bureaucracy” and “better support students and families.”
Moving forward, HHS will work with the Education Department “on special education and rehabilitative services,” and the Justice Department will oversee “civil rights enforcement, student privacy protection, and training and advisory services,” according to the news release.
“The Trump Administration has been clear: as we scale back federal micromanagement when it hinders success, we are equally committed to bolstering the efficacy of federal oversight where it is essential,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated.
President Donald Trump promised to get rid of the Education Department during his presidential campaign, but completely closing it cannot be done without Congressional approval.
According to the Washington Post, “There’s been no movement on legislation that would close the department, and people in both parties say there is not enough support to pass a bill if one were advanced.”
However, his administration has initiated layoffs and shifted a number of departmental duties to other agencies over the past year:
Most of these office moves have attracted scant public attention, as they are largely bureaucratic. But disability rights advocacy groups have lobbied hard against this move, fearing that a diminished office will mean less federal oversight of the states and, ultimately, fewer students receiving needed and federally mandated services.
“We have not seen what a proposed benefit of moving it out of the Department of Education would be,” said Chad Rummel, executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children. “They are making it move because it’s a campaign promise, not because it’s better for kids.”
He said parents and teachers have sent nearly 100,000 letters to members of Congress protesting the potential move, which the agency signaled was coming months ago.
The National Women’s Law Center, a progressive legal organization, also criticized Trump’s “dismantling” plan in a statement Tuesday, alleging the transfer of duties is “illegal.”
“Since the Trump administration took office, it has shoved students and faculty into the crosshairs of an ideological battle,” Shiwali Patel, senior director of education justice, stated.
“On one side are students who desperately need resources and protections from discrimination, including racial harassment, seclusion and restraint, and sexual violence. On the other side is a small group of people who are deliberately working to weaken Title IX and Title VI, abandon civil rights investigations, and ensure schools are not a welcoming space for all students,” Patel stated.
However, Trump administration leaders believe the change will do the opposite.
“Through this partnership, HHS and the Department of Education will cut bureaucratic barriers, better align federal resources, and deliver more effective support for individuals with disabilities and their families,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy stated Tuesday.
