CEC Associate Executive Director Laurie VanderPloeg Testifies on Capitol Hill
On Tuesday, CEC's Laurie VanderPloeg spoke at a spotlight forum hosted by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) on the negative impacts of the recent Interagency Agreements on infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. VanderPloeg discussed how transferring the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) harms students with disabilities and weakens the current infrastructure that supports states in implementing special education.
VanderPloeg shared her experience as the director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and expressed concerns about the leadership and oversight vacuum that will be left behind if these interagency agreements are realized. “With the cuts that have already occurred and those proposed in the education budget, the kind of national leadership that I just described will be lost. There will be pockets of excellence across the country while vast areas will struggle to meet basic requirements of the laws that serve children with disabilities.”
She urged Congress to preserve the Department of Education and protect special education programs from being transferred to other agencies. “We must resist the urge to make the fate of children with disabilities political and urgently remain focused on supporting outcomes for all children.”
Watch the full spotlight forum here.
View the press release from Senator Hirono's office.
Press Release
Stand up for education and tell your elected representatives to preserve the U.S. Department of Education.