Protecting Education for Children with Disabilities

Floor Speech

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Mr. MANNION. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share what is at stake for students with disabilities as this administration continues its attacks on the Department of Education.

Last year, one of our Nation's most fundamental laws, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, reached its 50th anniversary. IDEA opened the doors to opportunities and protected the rights of millions of students with disabilities and their families. It guaranteed a free, appropriate public education where students with disabilities could learn in the least restrictive environment and with the proper support.

Before this landmark piece of legislation, generations of students with disabilities were routinely denied equal access to education. As a teacher for almost 30 years and the founding chairman of the New York State Senate Disabilities Committee, I have seen firsthand how IDEA has transformed lives and what it means to families.

Yet, for all of the progress that we have made, much work still remains, and IDEA is still more at risk today than it has ever been. This administration has recklessly conducted mass layoffs across the Department of Education, with no regard for the impacts on programs, school districts, students, and families whom they serve.

Sadly, these firings have reached the Office of Special Education Programs, which administers IDEA, as well as the Office for Civil Rights, which investigates cases of disability discrimination. Without these agencies and their dedicated employees, parents would have little recourse when schools fail to protect their students and provide appropriate accommodations.

From day one, it was obvious that this administration wanted to transfer IDEA oversight out of the Department of Education entirely by moving it to HHS, an agency with no expertise or legal authority over special education.

Countless disability advocates have sounded the alarm on this proposal. We cannot let these attacks continue, and we must also continue to call out the vile rhetoric and misinformation about disabilities in this country and around the world that this administration has spread.

Parents of students with disabilities fight hard every single day for their children, and there is no reason that they should have to fight harder. I came to Congress to be a voice for those families and to ensure that our country lives up to its promises and our values.

That is why my very first bill was the Protecting Students With Disabilities Act, which would protect IDEA programs from the illegal dismantling of the Department of Education. This should be a bipartisan cause, as it has long been, and we should be talking more about fully funding IDEA and strengthening it. Instead, we are left defending it from political attacks.

I thank my colleague, Representative Hayes, for organizing this discussion. I also thank my fellow members of the Education and Workforce Committee for their commitment to maintaining IDEA. As a fellow educator, I am proud to stand with Representative Hayes in this fight.

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