Trump Administration Shifts Special Education Programs to Health Department

June 17, 2026 - 00:36

Officials have confirmed that the Trump administration is shifting responsibility for special education programs from the Education Department to the Department of Health and Human Services. The move also includes breaking off the Education Department's civil rights office, marking the most aggressive step yet in the administration's effort to dismantle the federal education agency.

The reorganization, announced by senior administration officials, transfers oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which serves roughly 7.5 million students with disabilities, to the Health Department. The civil rights office, which handles complaints of discrimination in schools, will also be relocated, though its exact new home has not been finalized.

Supporters of the change argue that special education is fundamentally a health and social service issue, not an educational one. They claim the shift will streamline services and reduce bureaucratic overlap. Critics, however, warn that moving these programs could weaken protections for vulnerable students and create confusion among parents and school districts.

The move is part of a broader push by the administration to shrink the Education Department, which has long been a target for conservatives who believe education policy should be controlled by states and local communities. The administration has already proposed cutting the department's budget and merging several of its functions into other agencies.

Education advocates have expressed alarm, saying the restructuring could delay services and dilute legal safeguards for students with disabilities. They also worry that the civil rights office, already understaffed and overwhelmed, will lose its focus on school-based discrimination cases if it is absorbed into a larger health agency.

The administration has not provided a timeline for the transition, but officials say they expect the changes to take effect within the next fiscal year.