Last Friday, the majority of the staff of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) were terminated. These actions pose dire risks to millions of students with disabilities who rely on federal oversight and support.

OSEP serves as the primary federal agency charged with implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) nationwide. Established in 1979 through advocacy by disability rights groups, professional organizations, and parents, OSEP emerged from the reorganization of the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped within the newly formed Department of Education.

The agency's responsibilities are extensive: distributing federal funds to states and school districts, monitoring compliance with disability law, issuing policy guidance, funding educational research, supporting teacher preparation, and maintaining family resource centers. These functions are essential to ensuring students with disabilities access individualized instruction and necessary accommodations.

OSEP's interpretive guidance has become foundational to special education law. Courts regularly reference this guidance when applying federal disability law to specific cases, making it critical for understanding both legal compliance and violations.

Dismantling OSEP's staff would create cascading consequences. School districts would lose access to essential federal direction, states would face challenges meeting legal requirements, and families would find fewer resources for navigating special education systems. Students with disabilities already encounter substantial obstacles in obtaining their legally guaranteed services. The expertise and resources OSEP provides help educators address these barriers and improve student outcomes. Eliminating this knowledge base would deepen educational inequities across the country and undermine the law's promise of a free appropriate public education for all students with disabilities.

CEC and DDEL remain committed to partnering with Congress, the Administration, educators, and families to advance OSEP's goals of improving outcomes for children with disabilities and ensuring equitable, high-quality education and services. The organization will continue championing accountability, federal oversight of IDEA implementation, and protection of hard-won rights for students with disabilities.