The State of American Education: What’s at Stake for our Future?
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) staunchly opposes the growing number of executive and congressional actions that have sought to undermine public education and the federal role in supporting students with disabilities. President Trump signed the Executive Order “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families,” which seeks to disrupt public education and divert funding to private schools. There are also reports that the Trump Administration is preparing an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and move funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reports also suggest an effort to block grant federal funds to states with “no strings attached”, further limiting ED’s critical role in holding states accountable for supporting students with disabilities.
While fully eliminating the ED requires Congressional approval, it is evident that public education is under attack, which could have grave impacts on the rights and protections of students with disabilities. Members of Congress continue to look for ways to privatize public education to the detriment of millions of disabled students. Just last week, the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing titled ‘The State of American Education’ that posed private school choice options as a primary solution to improving educational outcomes for American children. In a submission for the hearing record, NCLD offered firm condemnation of any legislation that drives public funding to private schools in a letter addressed to the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee, signed by Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez, NCLD’s CEO.
“There is no federal requirement that students with disabilities who are educated in private schools under voucher programs must meet the same academic standards as their peers without disabilities. Private schools make their own admissions decisions and determine their academic and support offerings, often resulting in discrimination against students with disabilities. This may ultimately result in the exclusion of many students with disabilities or signaling to families that the private school is not equipped to serve students with a specific type of disability or learning need.”
We are not alone in this, though. NCLD endorsed Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici’s Resolution, highlighting the Department of Education’s critical role in supporting students and families, especially students with disabilities. The resolution also highlighted the importance of public education and the need to invest taxpayer dollars in public schools instead of voucher programs. NCLD is opposed to all federal efforts to privatize public education. We recently re-released a 2017 report about voucher programs across the U.S. and their implications for students with disabilities.
On Thursday, February 13, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold Linda McMahon’s Secretary of Education confirmation hearing. We joined other members of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities Education Taskforce in a letter to the Committee underscoring the Secretary of Education’s important duties and the essential functions that the agency and its leadership must fulfill.
NCLD expects more threats to public education from this Administration and Congress. Many bills will be introduced in Congress and actions taken to weaken and dismantle public education and the rights of students and families. NCLD will stay vigilant and protective of the rights of students with disabilities. We call on the Administration and Congress to focus on ways to improve public education without dismantling the very systems that keep it afloat. Contact your Member of Congress to tell them you oppose all efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.