As President Trump prepared to release an Executive Order seeking to close the Department of Education, First Focus on Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement:
When President Trump signs an executive order today dismantling the Department of Education, he will be making a direct attack on children. The Department of Education supports robust educational opportunity for nearly 26 million low-income students and 7.5 million students with disabilities across the country.
Even before firing half of its staff, the Department of Education was the smallest Cabinet-level agency. The Department of Education is the one-and-only federal agency committed exclusively to children, and it is an essential force for ensuring that all of the nation’s students receive a well-supported and equitable public education. We will not sit silently as the Administration attempts to recklessly undermine the education of the 90% of students attending public schools — and in the process, the future of our democracy.