Trump shifts special education and civil rights oversight from Education Department to other agencies

What was announced

On Tuesday, the Trump administration revealed plans to move the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to the Department of Health and Human Services and shift the Office for Civil Rights to the Justice Department. Both functions will operate under interagency agreements, a mechanism used previously to disburse Education Department programs without congressional approval. The special education office oversees compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and manages roughly $15 billion a year in grants for students with disabilities.

“These agreements align federal responsibilities with the agencies best positioned to support them, strengthening the effectiveness and impact of critical services.”

The broader dismantling effort

President Donald Trump campaigned on abolishing the department, arguing education decisions should return to the states. Only Congress can formally dissolve the cabinet agency, and no legislative effort has gained enough support. The administration has circumvented that hurdle by negotiating more than a dozen interagency agreements. Earlier transfers sent K-12 and postsecondary programs to the Labor Department and initiated moving the $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department.

Advocacy groups push back

Civil rights and disability advocates condemned the announcement, warning that fragmenting oversight would harm students who depend on federal protections. EdTrust, a Washington-based education equity think tank, said traditionally underserved students, including those with disabilities and from low-income backgrounds, would bear the greatest burden.

“This isn't efficiency; it's chaos.”

Chad Rummel, executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children, noted that nearly 100,000 letters opposing the move had been sent to Congress. He said the shift was driven by a campaign promise, not evidence it would improve outcomes for children.

Compliance and enforcement stakes

As of last June, more than 30 states needed assistance meeting IDEA requirements for students ages 3-21, and about 20 states needed help with early intervention services for infants and toddlers, according to department data. A handful of states were in a "needs intervention" status that can trigger improvement plans or compliance deals. Separately, the Office for Civil Rights has been the administration's main tool for enforcing priorities such as investigations into transgender-inclusive school policies, alleged campus antisemitism, and race-based admissions practices.

What comes next

The Education Department said students and parents would experience no immediate change in services, but few operational details were provided. With Congress unlikely to approve abolition, the piecemeal transfer of responsibilities is expected to continue. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, a billionaire and former World Wrestling Entertainment executive, has signaled the department will keep shifting functions until only a shell remains.