Trump administration ramps up dismantling Education Department by shifting duties
FILE - US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attends a round table discussion hosted by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on "exposing weaponization against parents in schools" at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on June
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration on Tuesday ramped up its efforts to dismantle parts of the Education Department, starting off with special education and civil rights.
Dig deeper:
The Department of Justice will take on enforcement of civil rights in education, while the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee special education, administration officials announced.
The two agencies involved — the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Office for Civil Rights — defend the rights of children with disabilities and those who experience discrimination based on race, sex or religion.
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What they're saying:
"The Trump Administration has been clear: as we scale back federal micromanagement when it hinders success, we are equally committed to bolstering the efficacy of federal oversight where it is essential," Linda McMahon, education secretary, said in a written statement.
The backstory:
Trump campaigned on shutting down the Education Department, saying he would "move education back to the states where it belongs."
Big picture view:
McMahon, a billionaire and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, has already offloaded some of its programs through 10 earlier internal agreements, but the agencies affected by Tuesday’s announcement were among the most closely watched.
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services manages billions of dollars in grants and oversees state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
The Office for Civil Rights, which has been thinned by mass layoffs, investigates complaints of discrimination at the nation’s schools and universities.
The Department of Justice also will take over work protecting student privacy and will provide some training and advisory help to schools.
While HHS and the Department of Justice will take over most day-to-day duties of the assigned offices, the Education Department will continue to perform some tasks, such as responding to audits and issuing final determinations in civil rights cases, that it is explicitly required to do by law.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press.