1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

The Trump administration's plan to dismantle the Department of Education poses a grave threat to students across the nation. Closing this vital agency would undermine decades of progress in ensuring equal access to quality education for all children, regardless of their background or circumstances. The department plays a crucial role in protecting civil rights, providing funding for schools serving underprivileged communities, supporting students with disabilities, and administering the federal student loan program. Eliminating the Department of Education would disproportionately impact our most vulnerable students, exacerbating existing inequalities and depriving millions of children of the opportunities they deserve. This reckless move would lead to soaring class sizes, cuts to job training programs, higher costs for higher education, diminished services for students with disabilities, and erosion of civil rights protections. Rather than dismantling this essential agency, we should be working to strengthen and improve it to better serve the needs of all students. Education is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of a prosperous society. We cannot afford to roll back the progress made or leave countless children behind. Urgent action is needed to prevent this misguided effort from moving forward and to ensure the Department of Education can continue its critical mission of promoting educational excellence and equity.