Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a powerful new role in federal special education—and disability advocates are alarmed. The Trump administration has decided to shift oversight of key special ed programs from the Education Department to Health and Human Services, putting the health secretary, long criticized for his comments on autism, in charge, the New York Times reports. Senators of both parties oppose the transfer, and one of them, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, said the education committee he chairs will vote on blocking the move next month, per USA Today. The plan is part of the administration's effort to essentially eliminate the Education Department.
Kennedy previously claimed children with autism would never work, play sports, or date, then walked back the remark while pushing to move special ed under his agency, calling the programs "health-related." Advocates said that framing risks treating disabled students as patients instead of learners and undermines decades of work to ensure they're educated alongside peers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And the advocates said they've had to step up their efforts to protect the rights of disabled children to receive a quality public education recently. Kennedy responded in a statement that the new alignment will "deliver more effective support for individuals with disabilities and their families," and agency officials insist students' legal rights will be protected. Trump has "treated the Department of Education as if it's a going-out-of-business sale of a discount furniture outlet," Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said.
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