Regarding the closing of the U.S. Department of Education, I am the parent of a 17-year-old son with autism who has received special education services since the age of three.
Supports in his Individual Education Plan have made it possible for him to thrive in regular education classes with his peers because he has had the additional help he needs to learn. He plans to attend technical college next year.
The U.S. Department of Education provides the support and oversight that states and school districts need to ensure that children like my son receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive setting as guaranteed by law. Children with disabilities are safer and more likely to grow into adults who fully participate in their communities because of these very protections.
Opinion: I’m the father of son with Down syndrome. Using the ‘R’ word is never acceptable.
We know from history what happens without laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehab Act and their enforcement from the Department of Education — students with disabilities are more likely to be segregated, secluded, and restrained.
What is painfully clear to me and to other parents of children with disabilities is that the current administration does not care about what happens to our children. If Congress cares, it is time to show it.
Nancy Gapinski, Glendale
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump executive order on Department of Education painful | Letters