By Briana Keenan
Correspondent
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 20 with the goal of dismantling the United States Department of Education, according to AP News.
Under the U.S. ED, laws surrounding discrimination are protected and schools are able to receive money for low-income students, among other benefits, according to AP News. What continues to remain in question is how the department’s mandated functions will be divided throughout the government and states after its closure.
According to NPR, Trump wants to move federal student loan management and programs for students with disabilities to other federal agencies “immediately,” but oversight of them still remains unclear.
“We will systematically unwind unnecessary regulations and prepare to reassign the department’s other functions to the states or other agencies,” Linda McMahon, U.S. Education Secretary, told AP News.
In the executive order, Trump stated, “Closure of the Department of Education would drastically improve program implementation in higher education” and that its functions “can, and should, be returned to the States.”
AP News reported that teachers, students and parents likely won’t see impact from the U.S. ED closing in the short term, but it is hard to predict what will occur long-term. Congress is also required to act in order to eliminate the department entirely, but Republicans are facing opposition from Democrats within the states and at the federal level, and from other organizations.
“This is not a minor bureaucratic reorganization — it is a fundamental redefinition of how our country treats children with disabilities,” Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, told NPR.
Other parents agree with Trump’s executive order, and think that benefits for students with disabilities and other funding will be attained more easily, according to Spectrum News.
“The Department of Education never controlled curriculum or what was taught, but they were able to tie requirements to their funding,” Brooke Weiss, Moms for Liberty Mecklenburg chapter chair, told Spectrum News. “Funds are still going to come through, probably with less strings attached.”
On Feb. 27, the Trump Administration sent a letter stating that the U.S. ED could cut federal funding from schools that continue to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum, according to AP News. However, many schools with a DEI curriculum are continuing to teach it, despite these executive orders.
According to The New York Times, the U.S. ED was “created by an act of Congress,” so only Congress can shut it down, according to Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
The New York Times also said that it is unlikely that an executive order alone could shut down the U.S. ED. If Congress, a court ruling or another action takes place resulting in a shut down, then the department’s responsibilities would be distributed to other agencies or departments.
“I've decided that the SBA, the Small Business Administration, headed by Kelly Loeffler, a terrific person, will handle all of the student loan portfolio,” Trump said, according to NPR.
Under the Trump Administration, the Institute of Education Sciences was also “gutted,” according to AP News. This institute tracked the nation’s academic progress through data collection.
In addition to AP News reporting that dozens of contracts were cut for being too “woke” or “wasteful,” Trump laid off nearly half of the U.S. ED’s staff, according to AP News. Only around two dozen workers remain after the approximate 100 who started working there before Trump took office for his second term.
According to AP News, the U.S. ED will have half of its original 4,100 employees remaining after all of the layoffs.
“I truly don’t understand how a handful of offices could handle the entire country,” Michael Pillera, a senior civil rights attorney for the Office for Civil Rights, told AP News.
In addition to concerns about federal funding and relocating other ED tasks, people have expressed concerns about programs for students with disabilities, according to AP News.
“We have to physically go to schools,” Pillera told AP News. “We have to look at the playground to see if it’s accessible for kids with disabilities. We have to measure doorways and bathrooms to see if everything is accessible for kids with disabilities.”
Kai Brown, a mother from Charlotte, North Carolina, told Spectrum News that she is unsure how she feels about the department’s dismantling, specifically how it could affect her 17-year-old son, DJ, who has autism and is non-verbal.
“The country will struggle because we don't value the educators from the beginning,” she told Spectrum News.
One federal law that is protected under the U.S. ED is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to NPR. This guarantees a free and appropriate education to students with disabilities and ensures that funds to pay for services are administered by the Secretary of Education.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on X, stating that his department is ready to take on the responsibilities under this act that support individuals with disabilities, according to NPR.
Despite Kennedy’s offer and Trump’s plan to give the SBA student loan responsibilities, there is still a lot of uncertainty and debate among the dismantling of the U.S. ED.
“Will it distract us from the ability to focus urgently on student achievement, or will people be figuring out how to run the train?” said Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush, according to AP News.
