Imagine a system designed to protect our most vulnerable students suddenly stripped of the very people who make it function. That's the alarming reality facing special education in America right now, according to inside sources at the Department of Education.
Multiple sources within the Department have revealed to ABC News that a recent wave of mass layoffs has severely crippled the nation's special education services. The impact, they warn, could be immediate and devastating for children with disabilities across the country. One distraught department leader posed a heartbreaking question: "Do people realize that this is happening to this population of vulnerable students?"
But here's where it gets controversial: The source, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, highlighted the sheer absurdity of the situation. "[If] there's no staff, who the heck is going to administer this program? That's the absurdity of this."
The cuts specifically targeted the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which comprises two critical divisions: the Office of Special Education Programs and the Rehabilitative Services Administration. And this is the part most people miss: This agency is responsible for enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—the landmark law that guarantees a free and appropriate education for children with disabilities. It also manages the distribution of approximately $15 billion in funding for these essential services.
The department leader didn't mince words, calling the layoffs within this division "ridiculous" and stating unequivocally that families of special needs students will be harmed. "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 leader explained.
To understand the scale, consider this: The Department of Education is already the smallest cabinet-level agency in the U.S. government. When the Trump administration began, it employed just over 4,000 people. Through a combination of buyouts, early retirements, voluntary separations, and a formal Reduction in Force (RIF), that number had already been nearly cut in half earlier this year.
Now, multiple sources confirm that several departmental offices have been gutted yet again. This includes not just OSERS, but also the offices of Communications and Outreach, Elementary and Secondary Education, and other critical divisions. A lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees claims the department eliminated 466 positions during the shutdown—representing at least another 20% of the agency's remaining workforce.
Rachel Gittleman, President of AFGE Local 252, believes that within OSERS, all offices below the senior executive services level were hit with RIF notices on Friday. She issued a stark warning: "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."
The sudden nature of these job cuts caught many within the special education offices completely by surprise. According to sources familiar with the situation, the terminated employees are understandably distraught. The implications extend far beyond the department itself—insiders warn that states could be seriously hampered in their ability to serve students with disabilities.
One source put it bluntly: "If this RIF notice is carried out, the Department of Education can no longer administer IDEA. I have no staff to put the money out and to monitor the states."
Here's where we encounter a significant point of contention: Critics of the administration's efforts to downsize the agency have identified the preservation of IDEA as a paramount concern. It's crucial to understand that IDEA isn't a discretionary program—it's a statutory requirement mandated by law and enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, whose stated mission is to return education power and responsibilities to state and local levels, has attempted to calm fears. She has publicly committed that the department would continue to fully fund and execute all of Congress's statutorily required programs.
However, and this is critical, the education department leader told ABC News that these recent layoffs directly contradict McMahon's assurances. "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." The leader then posed pointed questions that demand answers: "What is she doing with IDEA? Who's going to administer it?"
When reached for comment, the Department of Education did not immediately respond to ABC News' inquiries.
Adding another layer of uncertainty, President Trump has suggested that the Health and Human Services Department under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would eventually take over special needs and nutrition programs for students. However, that transfer has not yet occurred, creating a dangerous limbo for these essential services.
Meanwhile, the education department leader predicts that the remaining staff within the special education division will be completely unequipped to handle the responsibilities of their departed colleagues. The leader offered a powerful analogy that cuts to the heart of the problem: "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. It's just so absurd."
So here's a question for your consideration: Is dismantling the administrative structure that supports vulnerable students a legitimate streamlining of government, or does it represent an unacceptable abandonment of our nation's commitment to children with disabilities? What responsibility does the government have to maintain the infrastructure for laws it has passed? We're genuinely interested in your perspective—please share your thoughts in the comments below.
