ASAN is disappointed that the Senate chose to ignore the voices of our community and confirm Linda McMahon as the next Secretary of Education. As we have warned, McMahon has given every indication that she would dismantle the Department of Education and threaten the protections and investments that we all rely on to get fair and equal access to education in America. This is the reason why President Trump nominated her, and she made it clear to America during Senate hearings that she shared Trump’s goal of destroying the Department of Education and “putting herself out of a job”. Shortly after her confirmation, Secretary McMahon proved that our fears were correct. In a letter to the Department of Education, Secretary McMahon spells out that she intends to be the last Secretary of Education, and that she sees her work as the Department’s “final mission”.
Any attempts to end or restrict the duties of the Department of Education will have devastating effects on students with disabilities, as well as students of color, and LGBTQ+ students. The department enforces laws like IDEA which requires disabled students receive necessary accommodations in the most integrated setting. The department also protects all students from discrimination based on race, gender, disability, and other characteristics. McMahon has claimed that other departments can do this work instead, but we know that is not true. Even before McMahon was confirmed, the Trump administration had stopped investigating discrimination complaints and has made it clear that it does not intend to protect students from racial and gender discrimination. In fact, it is trying to require that schools discriminate, in executive orders encouraging prosecution of teachers who respect students’ transitions and illegally redefine the definition of discrimination to include programs that seek to address systemic inequalities and give opportunities to students from marginalized backgrounds. These actions show contempt for both the laws of our country as well as the generations of civil rights advocates who have fought and are fighting for an equal education for students in the United States.
ASAN Disappointed by McMahon’s Confirmation
