By Lateefah S. Williams, Esq.
If you’ve recently been paying attention to special education, you know that there have been catastrophic shifts at the U.S. Department of Education—and not in a good way. Families of students with disabilities and advocates have been sounding the alarm, and for good reason.
The Pause That Hurts
Let’s look backwards for a bit. After President Trump returned to office, one of the first things his administration did was pause investigations in the U.S. Department of Education’s, Office for Civil Rights (OCR)—particularly those impacting disability discrimination complaints for children. For the families that filed complaints with OCR because their local school district was not properly implementing or adhering to their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), they have not just experienced a delay… rather, it has been a full stoppage.
Imagine you’ve been fighting to get your child the special education services they need. After months, or even years, of seeing no progress, you finally file a federal complaint…and then nothing happens. Total silence. No follow-up. No resolution. Nothing. That has been the reality for numerous families over the past few months.
A Shift in Focus
It would be bad enough if it was just about delays—but it’s not. To the extent that OCR still functions, its priorities have completely changed. Instead of focusing on issues like disability access or special education compliance, they’re spending more energy on politically charged, yet less impactful, topics like transgender athletes in school sports. While some people may claim that’s an important issue to them, less than one percent of school-age athletes are transgender and there are legitimate arguments that this one percent are the ones that are facing discrimination, not their opponents.
However, no matter where you stand on transgender athletes, you must admit, it’s mind blowing that an administration that claims it is concerned about girls getting a fair chance in athletics cares so little about children getting a fair chance in the classroom. As part of the so-called “overhaul” at the U.S. Department of Education, the department has let go of over 40% of OCR staff and closed most regional offices. That’s a major blow to families who rely on local support and timely investigations.
Families Left in Limbo
Advocates are calling this a betrayal. Many say these moves silence students with disabilities and their families. For parents already navigating the stress of IEP meetings, school system resistance, and constant advocacy without adequate results, this feels like the rug has been pulled out from under them.
According to the Associated Press (AP), some families have seen investigations drag on with no conclusion in sight. Others have been told their cases were “no longer a priority.” One parent, Heather Godbout, whose 10-year-old daughter was denied accommodations for her ADHD, bluntly told the AP: “We never heard from anyone again. It was like our complaint just vanished. We felt abandoned.” Kids’ disability rights cases stalled as Trump began to overhaul Education Department, AP.
The quote above captures what so many families are feeling right now—left in the dark at a time when their children need a sign of light the most.
So What Now?
There’s been a slow resumption of some special education disability complaint processing, but the damage is done. Trust has been shaken, and for a system that already felt like an uphill battle, the hill just got steeper.
Everyone who cares about fairness in education should pay close attention because we all lose when we start ignoring the needs of our most vulnerable students. Let’s keep fighting for the kids who need us the most.
