What You Need to Know
The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) has been at the forefront of protecting students with disabilities, defending the Department of Education, and uplifting our vision around the future of education.
What You Need to Know
The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) has been at the forefront of protecting students with disabilities, defending the Department of Education, and uplifting our vision around the future of education.
In the News
Private School Choice Is the Wrong Choice for Kids With Disabilities, Like Mine
The 74, June 20, 2025
“Coco: 'Big Beautiful Bill,' vouchers and program cuts undermine the rights of special ed students & the nation's commitment to helping them succeed.”
Big Education Issues at Stake as Supreme Court Hears Religious Charter Case
The 74, April 29, 2025
“There’s no individualization,” said Jennifer Coco, interim executive director of the Center for Learner Equity, a nonprofit that advocates for students with disabilities in charter schools. “Whenever something that was public becomes private with regards to children, rights under IDEA, by and large, do not follow.”
Isolation & Neglect: Disability Advocates Fear Return to a Bleak Past Under HHS
The 74, April 10, 2025
“Making some determinations that we just don’t think [some kids are] capable of learning. Even if the law says you can’t do that, we have enough examples in our history where decision-makers have a tendency to go back to that in a way that’s really harmful to kids.”
Hawaiʻi Is Failing Special Education Students. Federal Cuts Could Make It Worse
Honolulu Civil Beat, April 7, 2025
“While Trump has proposed shifting special education oversight from the U.S. DOE to the Department of Health and Human Services, the move would require an act of Congress.”
‘Really scared’: Parents of kids with disabilities confront Education Department chaos
States Newsroom, April 4, 2025
“Any move to separate the education of students with disabilities from the education of all students further pathologizes disability and is treating 15% of all the children in our public school buildings like they’re medical issues — they’re not. They are students who learn differently, a vast majority of whom could learn at the same grade level as their peers if they were provided appropriate instruction.”
A big change for kids with disabilities is underway, Trump says. Critics say it’s against the law
Chalkbeat, March 21, 2025
“Public schools have not always lived up to the ‘bold, significant’ promise in IDEA that every child should get a free and appropriate education. I don’t think that’s grounds to throw out the promise or to throw out the systems that make sure that promise is fulfilled.”
“This Is an Emergency.” How Can Philanthropy Respond to Trump’s Assault on K-12 Education?
Inside Philanthropy, March 14, 2025
“It would be great for philanthropy to serve as a catalyst for coalition-building to bring together nonprofit communities to help educate people and speak up for the core values that we hold dear.”
What the Trump Era Looks Like for Disabled Students in K-12
The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2025
“If I were to read the tea leaves, I think that we’re going to see a huge decrease of staffing and simply reducing the function of the department.”
Official Statements
Press Conferences & Briefings
Disability Organizations Condemn Inclusion of Voucher Bill in House Markup
May 13, 2025
CLE joined the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), the Council for Exceptional Children, and The Arc of the United States in condemning the inclusion of this budget reconciliation bill that will include a $20 billion proposal diverting public funds to private schools via the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA).
Disability Rights Virtual Press Conference
March 20, 2025
CLE joined the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), the Autism Society, the Council for Exceptional Children, the Arc, and the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) discussing the unprecedented actions threatening the civil rights of students, particularly those with disabilities. Disability rights leaders discussed the consequences of dismantling the Department of Education and offered actionable next steps for families, educators, advocates, and policymakers.
Policy Recommendations
Advocacy Resources
Join us by raising your voice.
See a few resources on behalf of our partners below: