Statement

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Broad Coalition Condemns the Department of Education for Ending Support for Students with Disabilities

The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) is proud to stand with over 400 national, state, local, civil rights, education, and disability advocacy organizations in condemning the mass layoffs at the Department of Education — jeopardizing decades of progress in protecting students with disabilities. We urge the Administration and Congress to restore staffing and supports at the Department of Education immediately. It’s a moral and legal obligation for our nation’s children with disabilities. Full statement here.  #disability #protectspecialeducation #DontTurnBackTheClock #ProtectChildrenWithDisabilities  #FiveAlarmFire #ProtectIDEA Department of Education Condemned for Ending Support for Students with Disabilities

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The Center for Learner Equity denounces massive layoffs of federal special education staff

Washington, D.C. – The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) strongly opposes the administration’s recent action of gutting the key offices that oversee special education programs. Decimating these offices directly harms the education of more than 8 million students with disabilities across the nation. On Friday, October 10, 2025, the entirety of the Department of Education’s special education and K-12 education infrastructure, from the Office of Special Education Programs to the Charter School Program Office, was rendered non-functioning through massive layoffs. This reduction-in-force, or RIF, makes it nearly impossible for the Department to fulfill its duties on behalf of students with disabilities, their families, and schools.  “The education of students with disabilities is a nonpartisan issue that should be insulated from politics,” said Jennifer Coco, Interim Executive Director of CLE.  “Despite Education Secretary Linda McMahon repeatedly committing to uplifting the rights of students with disabilities, the administration chose to gut the offices responsible for ensuring states are upholding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We urge Secretary McMahon to reverse the layoffs and rise above partisan politics in the interest of supporting the education of students in every community across the nation—1 in 5 of which is a student with […]

Our Statement Regarding Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Board’s Approval of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School

Given the Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Board’s decision to approve the charter application of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, we at the Center for Learner Equity feel it is imperative to reinforce that charter schools are public schools that must be accessible and inclusive for students with disabilities and, we believe, must be non-sectarian.