Representatives DeSaulnier, McBath, and Simon Lead House Democrats in Condemning Trump Administration’s Latest Attacks on Special Education

Washington, D.C. - Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Lucy McBath (GA-06), and Lateefah Simon (CA-12) led 117 House Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought strongly condemning and urging the Trump Administration to rescind their decision to lay off federal employees dedicated to the education and support of students with disabilities and their families.

The Members are demanding the administration immediately reverse course and rescind the termination notices issued to staff in the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), including employees in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), as well as the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE).

In the letter the members wrote, "Decimating these offices threatens accountability for special education and vocational rehabilitation funds, as well as the civil rights Congress has enshrined in federal law, at a time when schools nationwide are already struggling to meet the needs of students and when people with disabilities continue to face barriers to employment. Federal employees at OSERS play a key role in ensuring that federal dollars are spent appropriately and effectively to support students with disabilities. Without them, there will be no oversight to ensure that physically disabled students, blind/deaf children and teenagers, as well as students with dyslexia, autism, and other disabilities are receiving the free and appropriate public education they are guaranteed under the IDEA."

The letter continues, "...These reckless terminations are just another in a line of actions by your administration that threaten the rights that individuals with disabilities have fought long and hard for. We urge you to immediately rescind your plans to wrongly fire employees at the agencies listed above so that they can continue working to ensure that every family, no matter where they live or their income, has access to an education that will set them up for a successful future regardless of their child's disability."

The letter warns that the terminations will have devastating consequences for the more than 7.5 million students with disabilities across the country and their families.

The letter is endorsed by National Center for Learning Disabilities, All4Ed, National Association of School Psychologists, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, EdTrust, AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education), Advocacy Without Borders, National Association of School Psychologist, Deaf Equality, OT Leaders and Legacies Society, Division of Evaluation and Assessment for Learning, Network of OT Practitioners with Disabilities & Supporters, Touch the Future Inc, National Association of Statewide Independent Living Councils (NASILC), Prevent Blindness, United Spinal Association, Angelman Syndrome Foundation, First Focus on Children, CommunicationFIRST, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation, Made for Math, National Association of the Deaf, Educating All Learners Alliance, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Educators for Excellence, American Association of University Women (AAUW), MomsRising, Council of Administrators of Special Education, Diversability, Dicapta, Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), National Parents Union, American Occupational Therapy Association, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Center for Learner Equity, Division of Early Childhood, The Ability Challenge, American Psychological Association, Griffin-Hammis Associates, The Center for Enriched Living, GLSEN, National Education Association, UnidosUS, Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, and Yes! Access.

The full text of the letter can be found here.