Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to let the Trump administration move ahead with sweeping cuts to the U.S. Department of Education. Already, more than 1,300 employees have been laid off, many from offices responsible for civil rights enforcement, student aid, and support for students with disabilities. Now, two bills in Congress (H.R. 2456 and S. 1148) threaten to lock these changes into law, stripping away protections that students and families across the country rely on every single day.
The systems being targeted were not handed down without effort. They were hard-won through generations of struggle by students, families, organizers, and lawmakers who refused to accept unequal education as inevitable. Federal programs like Title I, IDEA, Pell Grants, and federal civil rights enforcement exist because state and local systems have too often failed to serve all students. Without a functioning Department of Education, students in every corner of the country—especially those in lower-income, rural, immigrant, Black, brown, and disabled communities—will be left with even fewer tools, fewer protections, and fewer paths forward.
Today marks five years since the passing of Congressmember John Lewis, who reminded us that when we see something that is not right, not fair, not just, we must speak up and do something about it. This is one of those moments. Congress needs to hear from all of us now. Send a message now urging your Congressional representatives to vote NO on H.R. 2456 and S. 1148 and reject any effort to dismantle public education and the federal protections that help make equity possible.
There's still time to change the future we dream of and build it through our own actions. With courage and clarity, we can create a world worth fighting for—together.
Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari and Marina Marcou-O'Malley
Co-Executive Directors, Alliance for Quality Education
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