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4mo ago

Education Department Weighs Handing Off Special Education Oversight as Judge Pauses Layoffs

Any permanent transfer of IDEA responsibilities would require an act of Congress.

President Donald Trump, with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, shows his signature after signing an executive order to shut down the Department of Education during an event in the East Room at the White House in March. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: The headquarters of the Department of Education are shown March 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Department of Education announced yesterday that it will reduce its staff by nearly 50 percent, leaving the department with 2,183 workers, a reduction from 4,133 when U.S. President Donald Trump took office for his second term. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The department says it is exploring partnerships to support special education programs and has signed no agreement, pledging to protect federal funding streams.
  • HHS has been discussed as a potential destination, and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said his agency is prepared to assume related duties.
  • The administration initiated layoffs of 465 Education Department employees, including 121 in special education and 137 in civil rights, but a federal judge temporarily halted the cuts.
  • Advocacy groups warn the staffing losses and a possible handoff would cripple IDEA enforcement and degrade services for millions of students with disabilities.
  • Legal experts note IDEA assigns compliance responsibilities to the Secretary of Education, raising statutory hurdles that would necessitate congressional approval for any transfer.