Cuts at the Education Department Put Military Families’ Most Vulnerable Kids at Risk

The recent Department of Education layoffs that have diminished the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services are likely to exacerbate challenges that military families already face. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s Workforce Acceleration & Recapitalization Initiative set out to address duplicative functions and “excessive bureaucracy”, and introduce technological automation solutions for routine tasks. However, by restructuring the Department’s civilian workforce with abrupt reductions and no apparent public plans on how those residual programs will be maintained, critical classroom services, federal oversight and funding, and civil protections remain up in the air. 

It is suspected that these layoffs are partly a byproduct of the government shutdown. However, the Office of Civil Rights experienced the initial shock wave of workforce reduction in March this year. This is a continuation of the Trump Administration’s plans to reallocate authority back to the States. President Trump’s Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities Executive Order declared, “Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them,” while also noting that the main functions should be given to the States. This Order specifically emphasized that the closing of the Department should be effectively done without interruption to services, programs, and benefits. 

However, that is not what is happening.

Ongoing Impact

It certainly echoes the tenants of Project 2025, which asserts that rules and regulations tied to federal funds barely impact student outcomes, alongside the current funding formulas and reporting requirements. The Trump Administration appears to be following the Project 2025 playbook, which advocates for the responsibility of serving military-connected children to be housed in agencies that are already serving these families, such as DoDEA. It further calls for enforcement of discrimination law and civil rights protections under the Department of Justice. It also minimizes the federal government role, in that its involvement in education policy should be “confined to that of a statistics-gathering agency that disseminates information to the states.”

The federal Impact Aid program currently funds school districts with less property tax revenue due to federal property like military bases. It’s already been proposed to move this program from the Department of Education to DoDEA. 

Separately, the DoDEA had a reorganization this year that eliminated approximately 450 specialized teachers and services, namely educational technologists, speech-language pathologists, and special education assessors. It is important to distinguish that the DoDEA operates within the Department of War, Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness.

You can advocate via the National Education Association Action Center to reach out to Congress now.

Who is Driving?

Without federal support and enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), there is less accountability for the States and greater likelihood of inequities and inconsistent processes. This places the burden on military families to ensure their children’s rights and services are met. The federal staff responsible for this were laid off, thus weakening the ability to effectively ensure services, programs, and benefits are safeguarded. The Trump Administration affirms that special education needs for children will be preserved, which by law is the requirement; but without a plan in motion, it is unclear who has the wheel. 

While congressional authority is required to end the Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been tasked to take over certain functions regarding special education needs. Other areas from the Department are being transitioned to the Department of Labor, Department of Justice, and Small Business Administration.

Implications for Military-Connected Students

The ongoing dismantling of the Department of Education could mean that the States would no longer be tied to federally funded IDEA requirements and standards in public K-12 schools. Military families who frequently relocate across state lines count on federal authority to uphold the correct and consistent interpretation of laws and policies. According to the March 2025 State of Military-Connected Children with Disabilities report, frequent moves, lack of access, and financial instability disrupt medical and educational services, with the EFMP family member enrollment trending up 34 percent since 2018.

The Child Find program through IDEA requires states to identify and evaluate children with suspected disabilities. Early intervention and referral responsibility primarily falls on local school districts. Parental school choice enables the use of the child’s share of education funding, such as pupil allocations, through an education savings account (ESA), which is mainly funded by local taxpayers and the state. Private schools are not required to follow IDEA but may be able to be funded by taxpayer money. 

More visibility and accountability are needed to ensure the waves of layoffs and strained resources do not continue to widen the gap. The Trump Administration’s promise of “effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely” requires plans in place as the Department of Education becomes more fragmented. As the future of education undergoes significant changes, military families are left navigating a system in flux.