Parents, schools react to executive order to dismantle Department of Education
President Donald Trump explained Friday part of his plan to break up the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Education and distribute them among other agencies after signing an executive order to dismantle the agency.
He said the Department of Health and Human Services would handle programs related to special needs programs and nutrition. The Small Business Administration would handle the federal student loans under this plan.
“We're going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs,” Trump said Thursday.
Moms for Liberty Mecklenburg chapter chair Brooke Weiss attended the executive order signing with her daughter, who is a senior in high school.
“It was quite the honor. I’ve been an education activist for more than four years,” Weiss said.
She said the change is good news.
“The Department of Education never controlled curriculum or what was taught, but they were able to tie requirements to their funding,” Weiss said. “Education is not a one size fits all, and it's going to work better, give more power to the states and to the school boards.”
Kai Brown has a 17-year-old called DJ, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is considered nonverbal. She is uncertain about how the dismantling could affect DJ.
“Looking over the general statute of what it states and giving the education back to the state and what does that mean? There's no real clarity on what is going to happen and what's being done,” Brown said.
DJ Brown attends a public school in Gaston County that serves students with special needs.
“He’s in an environment of like-minded people and people that are like him, that understand him. He's able to be, and they understand,” Brown said.
Brown said Trump’s statements Thursday that special needs programs would be overseen by other departments didn’t alleviate her concerns.
“I can't believe what you say because I see what you do,” Brown said.
In a statement, Gaston County Schools said the district has not received specific information on the impact of the order and is awaiting guidance from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
The district said it receives approximately $20 million in federal funds for Title I, Title II and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which accounts for nearly 5% of its budget. In addition, Gaston County receives $22 million in federal funds for school nutrition.
Congress must act to dismantle the Department of Education.
“This is the beginning of the efforts to make education great again, and I know a lot of people are nervous about it. And it sounds like the Department of Education is being dissolved like this is such a terrible thing, but it's something that Moms for Liberty members and leadership have been advocating for a long time. And this is only going to make things better,” Weiss said.
She said people shouldn’t be concerned that funding for programs for children with special needs would go away.
“I’m not concerned at all. There are the funds are still going to come through, probably with less strings attached,” Weiss said.