SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – The American Federation of Teachers along with two Massachusetts school districts filed a lawsuit on Monday, challenging the president’s executive order to attempt to dismantle the Department of Education. The lawsuit alleges that Trump administration’s actions are illegal and will hurt essential services for millions of students across the country.
“The President and the Secretary of Education do not have the authority to dismantle and get rid of the Department of Education,” American Federation of Teachers president Jessica Tang said.
Easthampton and Somerville Public School Districts, the American Federation of Teachers, and other unions joining the legal battle against President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
The lawsuit, filed by the organization Democracy Forward, argues that President Trump’s actions are unlawful and could potentially ruin critical services for students across the country.
“A lot of the harm has already happened, but this lawsuit is definitely trying to stop the harm even further and ensure that the students actually get the services they need to prevent further harm,” Tang told us.
She added that the president’s efforts to rework the DOE poses a threat to the federal funding schools receive and where the money is actually going.
“When you gut the Department of Education with the staffing, almost half the staff have been laid off or illegally fired, then they can’t enforce where that funding is supposed to go and the most vulnerable students who are supposed to receive it,” Tang shared.
President Trump’s executive order stating that he wants to return education policy authority over to local state governments. Something Tang says doesn’t quite add up.
“In the court order it says were going to return control to the state and local governments but the truth is public schools are already governed by their state and local authorities so they can’t give schools back to the states because the federal law already exists.”
We also spoke with Massachusetts Secretary of Education, Patrick Tutwiler, about the president’s executive order.
He told Western Mass News the massive layoffs the d-o-e recently had are concerning and he’s worried how this will impact the future of students across the Commonwealth.
“Well, I’m deeply concerned about it. We know what the department of education does. Its top responsibility is to protect the rights, access, opportunity for some of our most vulnerable learners.”
Governor Maura Healey also releasing a statement regarding the president ‘s executive action. That statement reads quote:
“Massachusetts receives over $2 billion in federal education funding a year. The state is not able to fully replace these funds. The funding helps Massachusetts’ students, educators, schools, campuses, and communities… it also supports special education, including paying for assistive technology for students with disabilities, professional development and salaries for special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and reading specialists.”
Tang also adds that she hopes other communities and school districts will join this lawsuit — claiming that without it, students will not be given free and equal education .
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