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President Trump on Thursday instructed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin shutting down her agency, a task that cannot be completed without congressional approval and sets the stage for a seismic political and legal battle over the federal government’s role in the nation’s schools. Mr. Trump said Thursday that the department would continue to provide critical functions that are required by law, such as the administration of federal student aid, including loans and grants, as well as funding for special education and districts with high levels of student poverty. The department would also continue civil rights enforcement, White House officials said. Mr. Trump called those programs “useful functions,” and said they’re going to be “preserved in full.” Higher education leaders and advocacy groups immediately condemned the executive order. “See you in court,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the trade union for educators. (Bender, Green and Blinder, 3/20)

The administration has promised that "formula funding" for schools, which is protected by law, would be preserved. That includes flagship programs like Title I for high-poverty schools, and the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), which sends money to rural and low-income schools. But nearly all the statisticians and data experts who work in the office responsible for determining whether schools qualify for that money will soon be out of jobs, making it unclear how such grants would remain intact. (Mehta, 3/21)

The plan to dismantle the Department of Education is in Project 2025, the blueprint for a second Trump term drafted by conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. While campaigning, Trump denied any connection to Project 2025, which faced heavy criticism, including for its goal to eliminate the sole federal education agency. Critics of closing the department say that it will hurt economically disadvantaged youth, children with disabilities and students who need financial aid for college since the agency administers funding to serve these groups. (Nittle, 3/20)

Equity in education was not the norm before the Department of Education. Jim Crow laws enforced segregation in public schooling, so white children and children of color couldn’t go to school together. Native American students were often sent to federally run boarding schools to assimilate the students into white culture. Girls were often taught different curriculums with fewer opportunities for higher education. Another key group was left out of education: students with disabilities. “Students with disabilities weren't educated in most cases,” explains Jack Schneider, professor on education policy and director of the Center for Education Policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “They were turned away, and their families were told that the school didn't have the facilities, didn't have the resources to serve their kids.” (Walker, 3/19)

In the run-up to President Trump’s reelection last November, Texas and 16 other states filed a lawsuit that disability advocates now say could upend one of the legal cornerstones of disability rights in the United States. (Broderick, 3/21)

The Department of Justice this week announced the removal of 11 guidelines for businesses seeking to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Justice Department said removing the "unnecessary and outdated guidance" will help businesses comply with the federal disability law and eliminate unnecessary review. The agency cited a Jan. 20 executive order signed by President Donald Trump that called on federal agencies to take action to lower the cost of living. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act extends civil rights protections to the estimated 1 in 4 U.S. adults with disabilities. (Alltucker, 3/20)