Even as the federal government remains closed for business, this week’s developments out of Washington, D.C., are deeply troubling for public education — and especially for students with disabilities and their families. As Texas AFT has warned in recent Hotline articles, the Trump Administration’s push to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and downsize critical offices is not a mere reorganization — it is an existential threat to the protections and services that students, educators, and families rely on.
Special Education Office ‘Decimated’
Multiple news outlets have confirmed that the Oct. 10 layoffs at the Department of Education struck hard at offices that administer the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and enforce civil rights laws. According to PBS NewsHour, the Office of Special Education has been reduced from nearly 200 staff to only about five. As one agency insider warned in an interview with ABC News, “this [reduction-in-force] notice is carried out, the Department of Education can no longer administer IDEA.”
These cuts are especially dangerous given that protections for students with disabilities often hinge on sustained, expert oversight — from investigations of complaints to guidance and monitoring of state and local compliance. Even the Office for Civil Rights has been decimated, with more than half of its staff cut, leaving thousands of complaints unresolved or dismissed, according to K-12 Dive.
In a glimmer of good news, the layoffs have been paused temporarily after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Wednesday. But the atmosphere of uncertainty and confusion remains and likely will for some time, as legal proceedings continue.
What’s at Stake
These layoffs came amid a federal shutdown while many affected employees remain on administrative leave.
Texas AFT expresses its solidarity with our union siblings in the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) who have been used as pawns in a perverse political game. We encourage anyone who can to donate to the AFGE Federal Employee Defense Fund.
The timing of these layoffs deliberately exploits shutdown dynamics to bypass normal processes — and it places vulnerable students directly in harm’s way. Layoffs at the DOE’s special education office left only two senior staffers on programs, and one person for rehabilitation services.
The roles of fired staffers ran the gamut, their union, AFGE Local 252, has said. These employees oversaw programs in areas that support historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, gifted and talented students, students experiencing homelessness, civil rights enforcement, and more.
Texas students will not be spared from the fallout. Just as past federal enforcement actions forced Texas to eliminate illegal caps on special education enrollment, these new cuts are likely to weaken federal pressure on states to comply with IDEA. Without the accountability that the federal government provides, districts under fiscal strain may further under-serve, delay, or deny services — precisely what educators and parents fought to end during the last decade’s special education crisis.
Looking Ahead
Texas AFT continues to monitor these developments closely, and we are closely coordinating with the disability rights community, parent groups, and other unions in thinking through next steps to fight back and reduce harm.
In recent editions of the Hotline, we’ve highlighted the human impact of the federal shutdown on the encroachment of private interests in public education through voucher schemes, and the growing attack on professional educators. This latest round of federal layoffs ties those threats together: a political effort to hollow out the very institutions meant to protect public education.