10/14/25 - Special Education layoffs and other shutdown info

Okay, let's get back in gear ...

... with more fallout from the US government shutdown, including two new action items.

By the way, if you live outside the US I would like to know whether there are similar situations in other countries to "government shutdowns" in the United States – that is, all or most of government operations stopping for a time not because of actual cuts, but due to an inability or unwillingness to agree on a budget or other financial matter. How does this kind of thing look in other countries, and how does it affect disabled people? Send me an email at apulrang@icloud.com and I'll share responses at the end of the month.

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says

Zachary Schermele, USA Today - October 11, 2025

"The U.S. Department of Education fired nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in a wave of new layoffs that began Friday, according to the union representing the agency's employees."

Education Dept. layoffs threaten special ed system, advocates warn

Zachary Schermele, USA Today - October 13, 2025

"To be clear, no federal civil rights laws have changed. Students with disabilities are still legally entitled to a "free appropriate public education," a standard created by the half-century-old landmark law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. Through that law, Congress remains required to pick up the tab for a portion of the average per-pupil cost of special education (spending billions of dollars each year) ... The difference after the firings is that the people and systems in charge of doing those things have been upended ... 'IDEA still exists,' wrote Lisa Lightner, a special education advocate and lobbyist, in a blog post Oct. 12. 'But the people who used to help enforce it? Most (if not all, waiting for final count) of them were just laid off. That means fewer eyes watching the states. Less technical assistance. Fewer resources.'"

This is pretty shocking. And after nine months of chaos and apparent cruelty from the Trump administration, being shocked by any one move is remarkable. I can imagine that there might be some people who hate federal bureaucracy – maybe some of them disabled people and parents of disabled children – who will figure that this is no big deal, even a necessary house cleaning. But Special Education has always needed especially strong oversight to be fully implemented in states and local school districts. Even the most admirable schools and educators tend to look for ways to avoid serving disabled students in the ways they need, especially when consequences from above look remote or nonexistent. And this seems less like a strategic or reforming effort and more like another petty move in the shutdown battle anyway. Hopefully, parents of disabled kids across politics and ideologies will remember what federal Special Education programs mean to their children, and fight back.

There is a new action item for this below.

Explainer: What the Government Shutdown Means for SNAP, WIC, and Disability Programs

American Association of People with Disabilities - October 14, 2025

"When the government shuts down, all “non-essential” government activities come to a halt. Essential workers — such as those in defense, national security, or air traffic control — keep working. Some get paid, and others are expected to work without pay. Most other federal employees are sent home and do not receive pay until Congress funds the government again, which is called a furlough."

When I include this in the recap of October's links, I may put it under "Practical Information" category. In addition to explaining the shutdown and how it affects specific departments that serve people with disabilities, and offering a link to take action, this piece from the AAPD also offers some ideas for how to cope if people lose benefits or see them delayed.

And, there is an action item for this below as well.

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