Editor’s note: “Study Hall” from School News Network is a podcast highlighting the students, teachers and others making education magic happen every day in classrooms across Kent County and beyond.
All districts — President Trump’s March 20 executive order calling for closure of the U.S. Department of Education has special-education advocates worried about the harmful impact that could have on services for students with disabilities. Although the president says essential funds would be preserved through other agencies, critics say dismantling the department could have potentially catastrophic consequences for special education, not to mention the many other programs and services supported by the department.
In this episode, Kirsten Myers, Kent ISD assistant superintendent of student services, and Mark Higgins, special education finance supervisor, explain what special-ed programs provide, how they’re funded and how they could be harmed by dismantling or downsizing the U.S. DOE. (NOTE: A future episode will explain services provided by the Early On program for children from birth to age 3.)
You can download this episode of “Study Hall” by clicking on the embed above, or listen to it right here on the SNN page. If you would rather read our conversation, go here and click on the Transcript tab. You can also subscribe to the podcast through the RSS feed here or find it on many of your favorite streaming platforms. You can also listen to more episodes in the player below.
If you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!