All posts tagged "Education Department"

Experts were furious Monday at the Trump administration's latest move to slash most of the special education staff in the Department of Education.

The Trump administration on Friday started laying off 466 people across the education department, which gutted the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services — the office responsible for supporting millions of children and adults with disabilities in the U.S., The Guardian reports.

“Despite extensive efforts to minimize impact on employees and programs during the ongoing government shutdown, the continued lapse in funding has made it necessary to implement the RIF (reduction in force),” according to a letter sent to workers that was reviewed by CNN. These workers were told they would be employed through Dec. 9. ...

President Donald Trump's education secretary Linda McMahon drew scathing criticism on social media for touting academic research that falls in line with the Trump administration's values.

McMahon told CNBC on Wednesday, "Universities should continue to be able to do research as long as they're abiding by the laws and in sync, I think, with the administration and what the administration is trying to accomplish."

Her comments followed in the wake of Trump's recent attacks on Harvard University over issues of free speech and academic freedoms. ...

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) received widespread praise on social media Wednesday for her takedown of Linda McMahon during the education secretary's defense of the Trump administration's plan to slash $4.5 billion from the nation's K-12 schools.

McMahon, a billionaire thanks to her involvement with World Wrestling Entertainment, testified before the House Appropriations Committee, echoing the administration's talking points on "waste, fraud, and abuse."

McMahon said the school cuts and Trump-directed dismantling of her department would "shrink bureaucracy and empower states 'to manage education in this country,'” The New York Times reported. ...

President Donald Trump required Department of Education employees to attend "diversity training" during his first term. Now, he's suspending them as he seeks to root out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from the federal government.

A new piece in Monday's Washington Post reports that Trump's Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was fully onboard with the training in 2017 when she wrote, "In building strong teams, embracing diversity and inclusion are key elements for success.”

"Now, in the opening days of Trump’s second term, dozens of employees who attended that diversity program — many during Trump’s first term — have been placed on leave because of it, according to union officials, affected employees and a person with knowledge of how the decisions were made," wrote WaPo reporters Laura Meckler and Hannah Natanson....