The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
The hidden cost of dismantling special education
Vivien Henshall, a long-term substitute special education teacher, works with Scarlett Rasmussen separately as other classmates listen to instructions from their teacher at Parkside Elementary School Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Grants Pass, Ore. Chelsea has fought for more than a year for her 8-year-old daughter, Scarlett, to attend full days at Parkside and says school employees told her the district lacked the staff to tend to Scarlett’s medical and educational needs, which the district denies. She was born with a genetic c…
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
The hidden cost of dismantling special education
Vivien Henshall, a long-term substitute special education teacher, works with Scarlett Rasmussen separately as other classmates listen to instructions from their teacher at Parkside Elementary School Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Grants Pass, Ore. Chelsea has fought for more than a year for her 8-year-old daughter, Scarlett, to attend full days at Parkside and says school employees told her the district lacked the staff to tend to Scarlett’s medical and educational needs, which the district denies. She was born with a genetic condition that causes her to have seizures and makes it hard for her to eat and digest food, requiring her to need a resident nurse at school. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Why are we now considering eliminating support for the most vulnerable children?
Amid a wave of proposed federal cuts, the Trump administration is considering eliminating the Office of Special Education Programs, the agency responsible for ensuring that children with disabilities receive the education they are entitled to under federal law. The Office of Special Education Programs isn’t just a bureaucratic office; it’s the backbone of special education oversight in the United States. It guides states and school districts, supports families, and allocates $15 billion in funding for special education services nationwide.
Compared to the attention given to potential cuts to Medicaid or food assistance, this move has flown under the radar. Yet the consequences could be devastating. Education is not a luxury; it is a lifeline. For millions of children with disabilities, it’s their best chance at independence and future success.
Since 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has guaranteed that children with disabilities cannot be excluded from public education. Today, approximately 10 percent of students — roughly 6.6 million children aged 6 to 21 — receive special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Nearly half a million infants and toddlers receive early education services to help reduce lifelong learning challenges.
But the federal government has never lived up to its commitment to fully fund these services. The original law promised to cover 40 percent of special education costs; today, the federal share is only about 10 to 15 percent. States and school districts make up the difference, leaving many children without the support they’re entitled to.
Eliminating the Office of Special Education Programs’ oversight and coordination would exacerbate an already dire situation. Without federal leadership, responsibility for compliance and funding would fall to a patchwork of state systems, some capable, others not. Families would have little recourse but to pursue costly private litigation to secure services, a route inaccessible to most.
Before the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act became law, many children with disabilities were shut out of public schools or left to fail in classrooms unequipped to meet their needs. As a lawyer representing children with disabilities, I saw firsthand how proper support can change a child’s life.
I represented dyslexic students who were failing and developing anxiety until they received the right interventions, after which they flourished, graduated and attended college. I worked with parents of children with severe disabilities who, through specialized education and therapy, gained the ability to walk, feed themselves, or communicate. These are not isolated stories; they are the everyday results of federal investment in special education.
If the Office of Special Education Programs is dismantled, who will ensure those outcomes remain possible? Without coordination and accountability, we risk creating a generation of children left behind; children who could have become self-sufficient, taxpaying adults, but instead fall into cycles of dependency or involvement with the criminal justice system.
Cutting special education oversight sends a cruel message: that the futures of children with disabilities matter less. America can — and must — do better. Fully funding and protecting the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act isn’t charity; it’s an investment in human potential. Every child deserves the chance to learn, to thrive and to contribute; we just need to give them a chance.
Elizabeth Palley MSW, J.D., Ph.D., is a professor of social work and director of the social work Ph.D. program at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y.
Tags federal government Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Public Education States and school districts Trump administration
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