# Plain Language Summary: Protecting Students with Disabilities Act

This bill prevents the federal government from dismantling or weakening the Department of Education's office that oversees special education programs for students with disabilities. Specifically, it blocks the use of federal money to eliminate, combine, or restructure any office that handles the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—the main federal law that guarantees students with disabilities receive appropriate education services. The bill also prevents the government from firing, reassigning, or changing the job duties of people who work in these offices, and it stops the government from outsourcing these responsibilities to private companies or other organizations outside the Department of Education.

The practical impact is that special education services and protections for students with disabilities would remain under direct federal oversight rather than being cut, consolidated, or handed off to outside contractors. This matters because the Office of Special Education Programs within the Department of Education is responsible for enforcing the rules that require schools to provide individualized education plans, accommodations, and services to students with disabilities. Without this office functioning properly, students with disabilities could lose access to services they're legally entitled to receive, and schools might face less oversight in following special education laws.

The bill essentially tells the executive branch—the President and their administration—that they cannot use their budget authority to dismantle or weaken these disability protections on their own. Congress is saying that any major changes to how special education is administered must go through Congress itself, not happen through executive branch restructuring. This is a defensive measure meant to protect existing special education infrastructure and the students who depend on it.

Protecting Students with Disabilities Act

Mannion, John W.

Protecting Students with Disabilities ActThis bill prohibits the use of appropriated funds to eliminate the Department of Education's (ED's) oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (The IDEA authorizes grant programs that support special education and early intervention services for children with disabilities. Currently, the IDEA is administered by the Office of Special Education Programs&nbsp;in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services&nbsp;in ED.)Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of appropriated funds to eliminate, consolidate, or otherwise restructure any office within ED that administers or enforces programs under the IDEA.Further, appropriated funds may not be used to (1) terminate, reassign, or alter the responsibilities of any personnel of any such office; or (2) contract with, or delegate to, any entity outside of ED to administer or enforce IDEA programs.(On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, calling for the closure of ED and giving authority over education to the states. Further, the Trump Administration has announced plans to transfer ED's oversight of services for students with disabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services.)