Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

EDITORIAL:

Don’t let disabled children be forsaken by Trump administration

During the George W. Bush administration, the Department of Education set up a web page providing an explanation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The page was praiseworthy. Instead of merely posting the 159-page act and forcing people to interpret it, the department distilled the act into a “one-stop” overview that offered plain language to parents, students, advocates and educators seeking information about disabled students’ education rights.

But it’s not available now, and the circumstances surrounding its disappearance are disturbing.

According to various news reporters, the page went down after Betsy DeVos stumbled under questioning about the disabilities act during her confirmation hearings. By the time she was confirmed, with Vice President Mike Pence casting a tiebreaking vote, the page was down.

Department officials attributed the page’s disappearance to a technical problem, but there’s reason to be skeptical of that claim. Not only did DeVos insist during her confirmation hearing that it should be up to states to decide whether to honor disabled students’ education rights, incoming U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been highly critical of the act. In 2000, while serving as a U.S. senator, he said it led to “special treatment of certain children” and “acceleration in the decline of civility and discipline in classrooms across America.”

Throw in Donald Trump’s mocking of a disabled reporter during the election, and there’s reason for people to be sensitive about the disappearance of the page.

If it turns out there is any movement by the Trump gang to dial back protections of disabled students’ rights, that’s unacceptable.

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when disabled students were largely treated as second-class citizens in schools, segregated and denied an equal level of education. Not only did this impede their academic development — they often received lower-quality instruction than their classmates and were robbed of the chance to benefit from peer instruction — but it hindered them socially by limiting their exposure to others.

The system resulted in institutionalized ostracization.

Thanks to decades of work by parents, students and activists, our society has made great strides in education for disabled students.

There can be no step backward.

The good news is that activists and others are watching closely and are being quick to speak out when they come across causes for concern, like the IDEA page going down.

Whether or not the page’s disappearance was an accident, government officials say it will be restored. They should be held accountable to make sure they follow through.

Meanwhile, Nevada’s congressional delegation should do its part to watchdog the Trump gang and do what it takes to ensure the rights of disabled students are protected to the full extent of the law.

Contact your Congressmen

Contact Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.

• Phone: 202-224-6244

• Email: here

• • •

Contact Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

• Phone: 202-224-3542

• Email: here

• • •

Contact Rep. Dina Titus, R-Nev.

• Phone: 202-225-5965

• Email: here

• • •

Contact Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev.

• Phone: 202-225-6155

• Email: here

• • •

Contact Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.

• Phone: 202-225-3252

• Email: here

• • •

Contact Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev.

• Phone: 202-225-9894

• Email: here

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