1. United States
2. Ga.
3. Letter

I am a voter in Georgia, a mother, a stay at home mom, and a survivor living with PTSD. I am writing to demand immediate action over the Trump administration’s decision to gut the Department of Education office that oversees special education. Cutting nearly all staff and slashing 15 billion dollars from programs serving children with disabilities is not just a bureaucratic decision. It is cruel, chaotic, and an outright attack on some of the most vulnerable children in our nation. Without this oversight there will be no one left to ensure that students with disabilities receive the services and protections guaranteed to them under federal law. I have a daughter with dyslexia and a son who is autistic. Between my three children we have two IEPs and a 504 plan. Families like mine depend on these supports. Across the country 7.5 million students ages 3 to 21, about 15 percent of all public school students, receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These cuts will set our children back years and cause irreparable harm. Most members of Congress and presidential staff have enough money to afford private education and may not feel these cuts as harshly as voters will, but we will. We will remember, and we will vote. We are furious. We will resist in every way possible. Our children are more important than this. Our country is more important than this. Your jobs are not more important than this. Restore the funding, restore the oversight, and protect the rights of children with disabilities now.