NYCLU Condemns Trump Order Purporting to Abolish Department of Education

NEW YORK, NY — Following President Trump’s executive order outlining the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, attribute to Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

“President Trump’s order is a dangerous and unconstitutional attempt to put 50 million students’ futures on the chopping block. While Trump doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally shutter the agency without Congressional approval, the administration has made it clear they intend to starve the Department of Education out of existence, a goal of the extreme right since the end of Jim Crow. The lives and futures of millions of young people hang in the balance.

“Communities across New York and the nation rely on the DOE to protect students’ civil rights, ensure services for students with disabilities, provide critical school funding, and support homeless students. This move — like so many from Trump and his MAGA cronies — is meant to create confusion and chaos, and widen the opportunity gap for vulnerable Americans.

“New York state is home to the most deeply segregated schools in the nation. Countless families, advocates, and educators work every day to right that wrong, but we are up against a federal government that wants to send us back to the days of ‘separate but equal.’

“We implore Governor Hochul, Attorney General James, and Commissioner Rosa to stand against this dangerous move and protect New York’s constitutional guarantee of a free, secular, public education for all.”