The U.S. Department of Education announced plans to outsource its special education programs and civil rights enforcement to other agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services will administer programs under the Education Department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, or OSERS.

Impact on Students with Disabilities

OSERS is responsible for administering the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, which guarantees a free public education for students with disabilities. According to a senior department official, students will not lose any rights, including their right to a free, appropriate public education, under the new arrangement.

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, will utilize the Civil Rights Division to evaluate, investigate, and resolve complaints filed under the laws enforced by OCR. The OCR will retain management and leadership in accordance with federal law.

The move has been met with backlash from the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, the union representing Education Department workers. Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252, said the interagency agreements regarding special ed programs and civil rights enforcement “will leave our most vulnerable students and families who have been shut out of our education system without the services they need and without protection when they face discrimination.”

Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.