Former Federal Special Education Leaders Urge Congress to Maintain Special Education Oversight Within U.S. Department of Education

A bipartisan group of a dozen former federal special education leaders is urging Congress to maintain special education oversight within the U.S. Department of Education and reject proposals that would significantly alter the administration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

Their letter, addressed to House and Senate appropriations subcommittees, raises concerns about the Trump administration’s FY 2026 budget proposal to consolidate IDEA-related grants into a block grant, as well as plans to potentially transfer special education oversight to the Department of Health and Human Services. The signees, who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations since the 1960s, warned such changes could threaten IDEA’s consistency and effectiveness nationwide.

This appeal follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting the Education Department to proceed with a significant workforce reduction—cutting nearly half its staff—which includes personnel in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). While no layoffs occurred within the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) during the initial reduction, the ruling enables further structural changes, including the transfer of certain responsibilities to other agencies. 

The former officials emphasized IDEA’s bipartisan legacy and its foundation as both an education and civil rights law, arguing that shifting oversight away from the Education Department could undermine federal accountability and harm students with disabilities.

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“IDEA is an education and a civil rights law, not a social service, and it must remain in a department dedicated to education to ensure strong oversight, enforcement, and accountability,” National Down Syndrome Congress said.

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