Restore the Office for Special Education

President Trump’s administration just gutted America’s special education office — and unless Congress steps in now, millions of children with disabilities will pay the price.

In the wake of the recent government shutdown, the Trump administration has slashed nearly all staff from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) — the federal agency responsible for enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). That means the very office that ensures 7.5 million children with disabilities receive a fair education is now effectively powerless. Oversight has been erased, guidance has been frozen, and families have been left to navigate chaos alone.

This isn’t bureaucratic trimming — it’s a targeted dismantling of civil rights protections. OSERS exists because decades of advocacy forced the federal government to guarantee that students with disabilities aren’t left behind. Now, that guarantee is being broken in real time. Without intervention, states will be free to cut corners, and no one in Washington will be watching.

Lawmakers in both parties need to feel the heat from parents, educators, and voters who refuse to accept this betrayal of children’s rights. That pressure can force hearings, restore funding, and rebuild the office before lasting damage is done.

Every day of inaction means more children losing critical support — and more families abandoned by the system meant to protect them. This could be our last chance to defend the promise of equal education. 

Add your name now to demand that Congress restore OSERS and defend the rights of every child with a disability before it’s too late.