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The Department of Education has laid off nearly all staff in its Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), according to the federal employees’ union.
According to USA Today, Rachel Gittleman, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, said reports from staff suggest that the workforce reduction included nearly every non-leadership special education employee. Employees working on the TRIO college access program, located in a separate office, were also laid off, Gittleman said.
“These terminations double down on the harm to K–12 students and schools across the country,” she said.
The layoffs come amid a broader wave of job cuts across the federal government amid the ongoing government shutdown. In a Friday (October 10) court filing, the Justice Department said the Education Department had laid off over 460 employees, amounting to roughly 20 percent of its workforce. Nearly 90 percent of the department is furloughed.
A department staffer told USA TODAY that “just about every employee” responsible for administering the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the main federal law protecting students with disabilities, has been terminated.
The IDEA is typically implemented at the school and district levels, with oversight from state and federal agencies. Without the federal layer, experts fear the loss of critical accountability and compliance checks.
“The system is designed to happen at the school level, with oversight from the district, with oversight from the state, and then with oversight from the federal level,” Glenna Wright-Gallo, who served as assistant secretary for OSERS from 2023 to 2025, said. “Now we’re losing that checks and balances system.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who has previously stated that supporting students with disabilities is a top priority, hasn't publicly commented on the layoffs.
The union has filed a legal challenge to the layoffs. In the absence of federal support, Wright-Gallo urged families and advocates to focus on holding local and state education agencies accountable.
“Parents will need to be vigilant,” she said.
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