Washington, DC – Last week, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) to shutter the US Department of Education. As SEARAC previously wrote, only Congress has the power to shut down the Department, which serves essential functions to support low-income students, students with disabilities, and historically underserved students, including Southeast Asian Americans, as well as enforcing civil rights laws in education. Quyên Đinh, SEARAC Executive Director, responds:
“SEARAC condemns the Trump Administration’s complete abdication of responsibility to our nation’s children and students. They are fulfilling their promise to eliminate opportunity and access in education after weeks of dismantling the Department of Education and throwing millions of students, families, educators, and schools into fear and chaos. Like many of the previous executive actions by this administration, this act is a clear case of executive overreach that will harm all children. It will lead to less support for students to learn, less support for educators to do their jobs, and less money for public schools to educate every student. It is unconscionable for the administration to cut support when our students are still catching up with the learning loss from the pandemic and many Southeast Asian students continue to face barriers to educational attainment.
In combination with previous orders that cut funding for schools that create diverse and inclusive learning environments that affirm all students, this executive order is a direct attack on the safety of all our children. Eliminating the agency that enforces civil rights laws and protects students from discrimination and harassment is further proof of their ill intent. However, we are not without a path forward. Congress can still act, and SEARAC urges our elected officials to protect the Department of Education by unequivocally condemning this executive action and urging the President to reverse its course. We encourage our community and our partner organizations to email and call your member of Congress and tell them to protect the Department of Education.”
