Two coalitions of K12 and higher ed advocates filed separate lawsuits this week, hoping to derail President Donald Trump’s executive order to close the Department of Education.
was filed by two Massachusetts school districts鈥攖he Easthampton School 糖心传媒 and Somerville Public Schools鈥攁long with the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of University Professors, AFSCME Council 93 and the Service Employees International Union.
comes from public school parents, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Education Association. Both suits claim Trump’s executive order and his other efforts to dismantle the Department of Education are illegal because only Congress can shut down the agency and many of its functions are authorized by Congress.
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“From protecting students鈥 rights to expanding college access and ensuring support for students with disabilities, the Department of Education is a cornerstone of equitable public education,” said Ilana Krepchin, chair of the Somerville School Committee. “Dismantling it would cause real harm鈥攏ot only to our students and schools but to communities across the country.鈥
The lawsuits express particular concern about the impact on students with special needs.
鈥淎s a parent of a child with disabilities who has an Individualized Education Program, I am deeply troubled by the severe cuts the Trump Administration has made to the Department of Education,鈥 said Mara Greengrass, a Maryland mother who is a plaintiff in the NEA’s litigation. 鈥淔unding for special education and the department鈥檚 oversight have been crucial in ensuring my son receives the quality education he鈥攁nd every child in this country鈥攄eserves.鈥
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to 鈥渂egin eliminating鈥 the U.S. Department of Education. At a White House ceremony attended by a group of students, he said Linda McMahon would 鈥渉opefully鈥 be the last secretary of education.
Both Trump and McMahon have insisted over the last few days that the department’s core functions, such as IDEA funding and student loans, won’t stall because other agencies will administer the programs. Plaintiff Robert Kim, executive director of the Education Law Center, isn’t convinced.
鈥淭he administration鈥檚 assertion that critical federal funding and support for schools and students will somehow continue as normal even after shuttering the department reveals a dangerous lack of understanding of the department鈥檚 role to provide funding for and implement programs for our most underserved student populations, ensure equal access and opportunity, and enforce civil rights in our nation鈥檚 schools,” Kim noted in a statement.
A group of 21 states already sued the Trump administration for laying off half the agency’s staff earlier this month.
