Special Edition: Policy Round- Up March 2025

It’s mid-March and so much has already happened in DC. Gutting the Department of Education is underway, impacting civil rights and education research significantly, the federal government avoids a shutdown with a CR, and the latest EO targets libraries and literacy. 

The Department of Education Issues a Reduction in Force

On March 11, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon issued a reduction in force (RIF) for the U.S. Department of Education (USED), laying off approximately half of USED’s workforce. While Secretary McMahon claims these layoffs are meant to support the department’s efficiency, the cuts will have the opposite effect. Through the RIF, entire offices have been shuttered such as the Office for Education Technology who develops national education technology policy and initiatives, including the 2024 National Education Technology Plan which emphasized access to technology for students with disabilities. Read our statement on the RIF order and take action to protect the U.S. Department of Education by contacting your members of Congress. 

Office for Civil Rights

As part of the RIF, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) closed several regional offices which had enabled them to investigate cases locally (e.g., visit a school being investigated for instances of restraint or seclusion). In FY 2023 alone, OCR handled 6,749 disability-related complaints, resolving the vast majority or around 6,400. Cutting OCR’s staff means fewer people to investigate these cases, making it even harder to ensure students with disabilities have their civil rights protected. The National Center for Youth Law and Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates filed a lawsuit challenging the Department’s responsibility to process civil rights investigations.

Institute for Education Sciences

The Institute for Education Science (IES) is now left with fewer than 20 federal employees. While the eight-person staffed National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) within IES was spared, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was gutted. NCES administers the National Assessment for Education Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as the Nation’s Report Card, which accurately shows the performance of students across the country, including students with disabilities. NCLD has published NAEP data from students with specific learning disabilities in these snapshots: reading and math.

Further, all researchers who utilize NCES data with restricted use licenses have learned that their licenses may be cancelled as soon as March 20.  

Tell Congress to protect education research and data.

Congress Passes  a Continuing Resolution with Education Funding Impacts

The President signed the full-year continuing resolution that keeps all government funding – with a few exceptions—at Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 levels through the end of FY 2025 (September 30, 2025). The bill eliminates the $290 million provided for education earmarks in FY 2024 but keeps other funding at FY 2024 levels. However, it does not provide specific program-level details to ensure funding for programs including programs within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Advocates  and members of Congress alike are concerned that the Administration could use this as an opportunity to cut funding or reallocate funding from specific programs—effectively eliminating them. Congress should “hold the power of the purse” when it pertains to funding levels for specific programs. NCLD will be closely monitoring the Administration to ensure all federal programs that benefit students with disabilities continue to receive funds that Congress has allocated. 

Executive Order Calls for Elimination of Institute of Museum and Library Services

On March 14, the White House issued an executive order that calls for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the nation’s only federal agency for America’s libraries. Public libraries play an important role in promoting literacy in the community, and provide resources to individuals of all ages from early literacy programs to adult literacy classes. NCLD has advocated for federal funding for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy program which supports the development of literacy skills, including in effective school library programs. Our partners at the American Library Association are asking you to share your story about the importance of libraries in your community. 

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