Following the recent firing of nearly all the staff at the federal level of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Service, there are mixed reactions from the public.
Before the signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975, students with special needs were often excluded from public schools and denied an education. Since the passing of the act, special needs students have been granted the opportunity to gain an education and be included in the public school setting.
However, the Trump Administration recently fired 121 staff members from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. This follows previous firings from the Department of Education as a whole throughout the Trump Administration’s first year back in office.
While the cuts don’t directly affect the budgets of Mesa County Valley School District 51, they will affect the budget allotted to individual states, meaning that Colorado could be forced to cut certain programs.
“I’d like to think that we’re going to keep doing the things we’ve been doing and trying to provide what’s called a free and appropriate public education, but I’m apprehensive just about everything as a whole — about students in general getting what they need, getting education paid for,” said GJHS psychologist Paul Heintzleman.
According to Susana Córdova, the Education Commissioner for the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the CDE received its Grant Award Notification for all Part B IDEA Funds on Oct. 1. Córdova also stated that there were no indications that the firings would cause disruptions to work.
GJHS has a diverse special education program, with over 100 students according the GJHS special education teacher in programs that include: The LIFE (Learning Involves Functional Education) program which replaced the previous Significant Support Needs; the SOAR (Self-worth, Opportunity, Accountability, Relationships) program previously known as Significant Needs Behaviour; and the RISE (Reaching Independence through Supported Education) program which was previously the Significant Needs Autism program.
Despite possible implications such as a lack of extra resources for students and teachers, some people, including special education staff at GJHS, are in support of the cuts.
“I don’t think the federal government knows about particular school districts in depth, so I think taking that burden off the federal government is probably what’s best for school districts,” said GJHS special education teacher India Leech.
While nothing is certain for the future, education is one of the most centralized aspects of human society. The United Nations recognizes education as an essential human right in order to protect other human rights as well.
“I am worried because we work with the people who tend to have the least amount of voice and the least amount of support… so the thought of the government no longer supporting them makes me nervous,” said Heintzleman.
