Special Education Services Face Crisis After Federal Staff Reductions
Department Sources: “No Staff Available” To Administer Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
Friday Layoffs Eliminated Multiple Offices Including Special Education Programs Division
WASHINGTON — Special education services have been significantly impacted following mass layoffs within the Department of Education on Friday, and the reductions could have immediate consequences for children with disabilities, education department sources told ABC News.
“Do people realize that this is happening to this population of vulnerable students?” one education department leader told ABC News, requesting anonymity due to fear of potential retribution.
The source expressed concern about the practical implications: “[If] there’s no staff, who the heck is going to administer this program? That’s the absurdity of this.”
SCOPE OF REDUCTIONS: Multiple Divisions Affected
The department leader indicated that several employees within the offices of Special Education Programs and the Rehabilitative Services Administration — the two divisions comprising the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) — were eliminated over the weekend.
These offices enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law establishing requirements for free and appropriate education for children with disabilities, and distribute approximately $15 billion in annual funding for special education services.
The education department leader characterized the layoffs affecting this division as “ridiculous,” arguing that families of students with special needs will be negatively impacted.
“There is a risk that the money to educate their children will not be given to the state, and that their access to support and advocacy for their children with special needs will no longer continue because there is no staff available to administer IDEA,” the department leader stated.
DEPARTMENT WORKFORCE REDUCTIONS: Ongoing Pattern
The Education Department is the smallest cabinet-level agency in the federal government.
At the beginning of the Trump administration, the department employed just over 4,000 people. Following buyouts, early retirements, voluntary separations and a previous Reduction in Force, the agency was reduced by nearly half earlier this year.
Multiple sources indicated that several departmental offices have now experienced additional significant reductions, including:
- Office of Communications and Outreach
- Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
- Various other divisions
A lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, alleged that the Education Department eliminated 466 employees — representing at least another 20% of the agency’s workforce — during the recent shutdown.
UNION PERSPECTIVE: Entire Office Structures Eliminated
Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252, stated her belief that all remaining positions in OSERS below the senior executive services level were eliminated Friday.
“The RIF of OSERS and OESE doubles down on the harm to K-12 students and schools across the country, which are already feeling the impacts of a hamstring Office for Civil Rights (OCR) from the March RIF,” Gittleman said.
The March reduction in force significantly affected the Office for Civil Rights, which investigates discrimination complaints in educational settings, including those related to students with disabilities.
OPERATIONAL CONCERNS: Program Administration Capacity
Education department sources expressed concern that the staff reductions could severely limit the department’s operational capacity.
“If this RIF notice is carried out, the Department of Education can no longer administer IDEA,” one source stated. “I have no staff to put the money out and to monitor the states.”
IDEA is a statutory program mandated by federal law and has maintained bipartisan support in Congress.
The law requires states to provide free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities and establishes specific procedural safeguards. Federal funding helps states meet these requirements, with federal oversight ensuring compliance.
ADMINISTRATION POSITION: Promises Versus Implementation
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, whose stated mission involves returning education responsibilities to state and local levels, has previously attempted to address concerns by indicating the department would continue to fully fund and implement all congressionally mandated programs.
However, the education department leader suggested the recent reductions contradict McMahon’s stated commitments.
“She’s consistently said she’ll protect IDEA,” the source noted. “Well, now, this is not protecting IDEA if they’re getting rid of the team,” adding, “What is she doing with IDEA? Who’s going to administer it?”
OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES: Specialized Expertise Requirements
The education department leader predicted that remaining staff within the special education division would not be adequately prepared to assume responsibilities previously held by eliminated positions.
“That’s like taking a surgeon and telling them you’re now a brick layer or telling a brick layer you’re now a surgeon: It’s like you just don’t do that,” the leader said. “It’s just so absurd.”
Special education program administration requires specialized knowledge including:
- Federal disability law and regulations
- State education system structures and requirements
- Compliance monitoring procedures
- Special education methodologies and best practices
- Established relationships with state education officials
PROPOSED REORGANIZATION: HHS Transfer Not Yet Implemented
President Trump has indicated that the Health and Human Services Department under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will assume responsibility for special needs and nutrition programs for students.
However, that organizational transfer has not yet occurred, creating uncertainty about immediate program administration.
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment regarding the layoffs or plans for continued IDEA administration.
TIMING: Unexpected Nature Of Reductions
Sources indicated that news of the shutdown-related reductions surprised many employees within the special education offices.
Affected employees are reportedly distressed by the layoffs, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Some employees believed their positions might be protected given that IDEA is a legally mandated program with bipartisan congressional support, making the Friday eliminations particularly unexpected.
IMPLICATIONS: State-Level Impact Concerns
Critics of the administration’s restructuring plans have identified preservation of IDEA implementation as a primary concern.
As a statutory program mandated by federal law with bipartisan support, IDEA cannot be eliminated through administrative action.
However, sources suggest that without adequate federal staff to distribute funding and monitor state compliance, the program’s effective implementation may be compromised regardless of its legal status.
States depend on both federal funding and federal technical assistance to operate special education programs in compliance with IDEA requirements.
BROADER CONTEXT: Government Shutdown Layoffs
The Education Department reductions occurred as part of broader federal workforce eliminations during the recent government shutdown.
Various federal agencies implemented workforce reductions, with some officials attributing certain layoffs to “coding errors” in automated systems, though it remains unclear whether similar explanations apply to Education Department eliminations.
The scope and systematic nature of the Education Department reductions, particularly the reported elimination of entire office structures below executive levels, suggest deliberate organizational restructuring rather than administrative errors.
