During Donald Trump’s campaign, he made multiple statements about dismantling the Department of Education (DOE) and turning it over to the states. In a September rally, he said “We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing.” This promise undermines and overlooks what the DOE does for millions of Americans.
The DOE was officially established on Oct. 17, 1979, overseeing sections like financial aid, loans and special education. The DOE also helps enforce anti-discrimination and civil rights laws for students. In recent years, Republicans have been calling to abolish the DOE for its “woke ideology.” These claims intensified during election season, with Trump accusing the agency of “indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual and political material.”
Before the creation of the DOE, many states did not acknowledge students with additional needs leading to laws for students with disabilities and funding for Title I low-income schools. These federal programs were created by the government because states were not meeting the needs of students who needed extra accommodations.
Furthermore, this would lead to a multitude of students — especially those from minority backgrounds — being left behind in education. Students’ rights would not be protected, they would not be treated equally and children from different states would be getting a widely different education than others.
Shutting down the DOE would require a supermajority in the Senate, meaning 60 out of 100 senators have to vote in favor. Republicans, despite holding the majority in the Senate, only have 53.
Trump has outlined his plan for education calling for prayer in school, parent rights and patriotism curriculum and said he would cut funding for schools that go against what he deems fit. However, in the Republican backed legislation that continues to be pushed, the wording and fine line are vague, which calls into question if a regular curriculum that involves discussing race, gender and politics will be removed completely.
Trump’s vision for American education is dangerous as he continues to be blinded by his own political smokescreen instead of focusing on bettering the school system for everyday Americans. Making education censored is dangerous and history has shown just that. Removing the DOE would not only harm the children of America but the future of it as well.
