On Friday, October 10th, the Trump administration laid off hundreds of people who work for the Department of Education. This correlates with layoffs against the OSEP, also known as the Office of Special Education Programs. The OSEP works under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This act provides students, —with certain disabilities who fall under the specifications outlined by IDEA, free public education throughout the United States. This act also provides special education services to children and toddlers. Though there are only a half-dozen workers reported to have been “cut,” after these layoffs there are currently zero people at the federal level who can ensure that these schools provide and comply with the IDEA act without the funding it consumes per year.  

 If teachers and counselors are ignoring calls and emails—no OSEP staff at a federal level can evaluate or clear any authority against negligence. The consequence of no OSEP staff means that “states may not be subject to strict monitoring, which means that instances of noncompliance could go unnoticed or remain unaddressed”. Under these circumstances, students with IEPs (Individualized Education Program) may not receive the guidance they need to succeed and progress under the current educational system. Even if teachers or counselors wanted to provide the same educational guidance after the layoffs, they may not be able to do so due to the lack of authorization currently under the Office of Special Education. This will cause families, districts, and educators’ confusion, and inconsistent practices around The United States. Many of the offices under the OSEP are currently closed or not being used at this time. Without federal oversight, this creates a potential decline of resources for those who have disabilities. These cuts will impact many school districts all over the United States, including the school districts here in Denver, Colorado. 

Because of the mass layoffs OSEP is experiencing, the Trump administration is calling for individual states to enforce and interpret IDEA. However, as the OSEP is no longer in service, families and students are concerned about whether their districts will still provide the help they need. Laura Meckler, a writer from the Washington Post, questions, “who are we supposed to trust to follow the law and to follow the rules?” Seeing that OSEP is one of the largest federal education programs and provides federal oversight to school districts to give proper guidance for students, Meckler and many of her advocates are concerned about the future of these school districts. 

With a lack of federal supervision and support, there may be a serious decline in individual states’ ability to provide any special education guidance whatsoever. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, states who receive the highest percentage of IEP or special education services are Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania. However, this doesn’t mean Colorado will not be affected. Under the Trump administration’s decision for these layoffs that have withdrawn protective administration from the education system, and the support and guidance students need daily, every state will be affected.