Council for Exceptional Children Opposes Moving Special Education

June 16, 2026, Arlington, VA - In response to today’s announcement to move education programs for people with disabilities to the Health and Human Services Department, CEC is deeply concerned that the Administration is eroding federal support for special education.

This announcement focuses on a campaign promise rather than on outcomes for children with disabilities, and yet it remains unclear how the agreement to move special education to the Health department will improve special education. What it will do, however, is cause chaos and confusion for educators and families and add to the bureaucracy for states, which must continue to comply with federal law but now liaise with more federal agencies. 

IDEA is an education law—not a health law—and moving it to the Health department is more than a bureaucratic change; it segregates special education from K-12 programs and signals a move toward a medical model that views students as patients rather than as learners with strengths, potential, and belonging. For five decades, we have worked to ensure that students with disabilities are recognized for their educational potential. Housing special education with all other education programs protects that progress, strengthens inclusion, and upholds a unified K–12 system where every child is part of the school community.

CEC remains steadfast in our belief that the federal government plays a vital role in safeguarding the rights and education of children with disabilities. Over the past year, we have engaged with Department of Education leaders, Congress, and the public to express our concerns about any effort that would weaken ED’s role in special education. CEC members have sent nearly 100,000 letters to Congress.

The Administration should be focusing on how to improve outcomes for children with disabilities, and any discussion to that end would be welcomed. However, no one can show us how the time, energy and resources needed to move special education to the Health department will benefit children. Bringing down a system built over 50 years is not going to be easy to fix; parents and educators should be concerned about where we are headed and what education experts are leading and supporting this change.

CEC and the tens of thousands of members it represents will continue to reach out to Congress and the Administration to share our concerns. We hope elected officials genuinely engage with and listen to educators and families and stop the erosion of special education. The future for children with disabilities is too important for lawmakers to stay silent.

–Chad Rummel, Chief Executive Officer, Council for Exceptional Children

Note for Members of the Media:

Please reach out to Annie Drinkard  at [email protected] if you’d like to coordinate an interview with Chad Rummel.