Father of special needs children worries about future of Department of Education
A father of special needs children said he is concerned about the future of his sons’ learning opportunities amid threats to shutter the Department of Education.
Donte Moore said his two sons, 5-year-old Noah and 6-year-old Sir Donte, both have autism and would lose specialized care that’s funded through federal grants and programs if the department were dismantled.
“It would be very devastating to my boys [and] to all parents who are dealing with the need for resources for special education,” Moore said in an interview with ABC News’ Kyra Phillips.
Moore is not alone in his worries. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 7 million students received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If the Department of Education is shuttered, Moore said his sons would no longer receive the additional oversight they need, including occupational and speech therapy.
“When they were diagnosed at about 2 years old with autism, one of the biggest concerns was their ability to speak and to articulate words in a proper manner,” Moore said. “Those special needs require the skill of a qualified speech therapist, among other things.”
Shuttering the department could complicate funding for Title I and IDEA, which Moore and his family rely on.
“Families like ours are not in the wealthy 1 or 2 percent,” Moore said. “There are unfortunately realities that we would need as much assistance as we all could [receive].”
The discussion comes after President Donald Trump’s nomination to lead the Department of Education, Linda McMahon, was grilled during a confirmation about hearing whether she would dismantle the department.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to shutter the Department of Education. In a press conference on Wednesday, Trump called the department a “con job,” and is expected to sign an executive order allowing McMahon to submit a proposal to dismantle it, even though that action would require an act of Congress.
“I told Linda, ‘Linda, I hope you do a great job and put yourself out of a job,’” Trump said during an executive order signing event last week.
During her confirmation hearing, McMahon said that the department “cannot clearly be shut down without Congress,” but that she is also “all for the president’s mission of returning education back to the states.”
If the Department of Education is shuttered, what will Moore and his family do? He said, “I am in the dark on that, I am not sure yet.”
Moore is currently homeschooling Noah and Sir Donte after a teacher was accused of breaking Noah’s fingers (The teacher is currently facing felony charges.) He said he hopes to have them return to in-person education soon, if the Department of Education stays in place.
When asked if he misses going to school, Sir Donte Moore nodded his head and simply replied, “Yes.”
