Sen. Maggie Hassan marked the 50th anniversary of federal disability protections Monday in Concord by meeting with parents and educators who are worried that the Trump administration is putting those protections at risk.
The Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Department of Education, and its special education offices, with massive layoffs. Those offices help enforce special education protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.
Hassan said the deal to reopen the federal government, which she and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen helped broker, requires the Trump administration to rehire laid off staff and protects their jobs until at least January.
Marya Ketchell told Hassan that her son, Wyatt, who has Down syndrome, is able to share a second grade classroom with his friends because he receives special education services. Ketchell came to the meeting with a picture of Wyatt crossing the finish line at a recent school race.
“The entire community was out there cheering for him,” Ketchell said. “And his friends, who finished well, well, well before he did, got their medals, came back and waited at the finish line for him to cross. That’s because of IDEA.”
She added: “These services are lifelines. They're not ‘nice to have.’”
Angelina Leo, a senior at Exeter High School, plans to pursue college after she graduates this year. She said that would not be possible if not for the special education services she's received since fourth grade for her learning and physical disabilities.
“The end goal is not to get good grades,” Leo said. “The end goal is to be able to be an effective part of society, to live in a society as independently as possible.”
Larry Elliott is the director of student support services for the Kearsarge Regional School District and father to an 18-year-old son who has autism.
“I've been struggling a lot trying to figure out college for him and what his life after high school is,” Elliott told Hassan. He also worries about rising costs of special education services, especially if federal funding is at risk.
That money covers training for staff, laptops, iPads and other communication devices for his students.
“If the government is not giving us the funding, it's going to have to come from taxpayers here in New Hampshire,” Elliott said. “They're paying more and more and more for education every year and it's increasing and increasing and increasing.”
Hassan called this a "perilous moment" for public education.
“We’re seeing the Trump administration really undermine special education and other education programs at the Department of Education,” Hassan said.
