Blackshear Condemns Trump Administration Gutting Special Education During Government Shutdown

Today, state Senator Willis E. Blackshear Jr. (D-Dayton) issued the following statement regarding the firing of 466 people within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services this past Friday. 

“Not only are these layoffs clearly illegal, but the impact to students with disabilities is incredibly harmful and immediate,” said Blackshear. “Parents and educators will not be able to ensure that their children have access to needed educational resources that they are legally entitled to.”

The Friday layoffs are part of a larger effort from the Trump Administration to dismantle the Department of Education. The American Federation of Government Employees Local 252 has filed a lawsuit challenging the layoffs.