When Oversight Moves, So Does Accountability: What Families Need to Know About the Department of Education Being Shifted Under the Department of Labor

The recent decision to move the U.S. Department of Education under the Department of Labor has raised understandable concern—especially for families of children with disabilities who depend on strong federal oversight to ensure their child’s right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

For many parents, this announcement brings a familiar and heavy question:

“Will my child still be protected?”

As a special education advocate, I want to walk you through what this change means, what it doesn’t change, and why your voice matters now more than ever.

Why This Restructuring Matters for Children With Disabilities

Special education exists today because, not long ago, children with disabilities were denied schooling altogether. IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) was created because families demanded federal protection—protection schools and states were not providing on their own.

So when federal oversight shifts, families feel it.

1. Education Is a Civil Right — Not a Workforce Initiative

The stated purpose of the Department of Labor is workforce development, employment policy, and labor protections.

But the purpose of IDEA is entirely different:

• to ensure access

• to protect civil rights

• to prevent discrimination

• to support the whole child, not the future worker

When education is reorganized into a department focused on labor, families worry—and rightly so—that disability rights may become secondary to workforce outcomes.

Our children are not workforce statistics.

They are human beings with dignity, needs, and legal rights.

2. OCR’s Role Is Critical — and Its Future Matters

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces:

• Section 504

• disability discrimination protections

• equal access

• compliance when schools fail to follow the law

Families rely on OCR because local systems often fail to correct their own mistakes.

Weakening, relocating, or restructuring OCR affects:

• investigation timelines

• enforcement power

• accountability

• transparency

For families who already struggle to be heard, this is not a small shift—it is foundational.

3. Special Education Requires Specialized, Focused Oversight

IDEA is one of the most complex federal laws in the country.

It requires deep understanding of:

• disability

• development

• behavior

• trauma-informed practices

• least restrictive environment

• evaluations and data

• procedural safeguards

Housing IDEA oversight inside a labor-driven department risks diluting the purpose of special education: access, dignity, and individualized support.

Children are not meant to fit into systems.

Systems are meant to adapt to children.

What Has NOT Changed — And This Part Is Very Important

Even under restructuring:

-IDEA is still federal law

-FAPE is still required

-LRE is still required

-Data must still drive decisions

-Parent participation is still required by law

-Procedural safeguards remain in place

-Schools must still follow every component of the IEP

A departmental move does not erase legal obligations.

Your child’s rights remain intact.

Your voice remains protected.

Your advocacy still matters.

So What Should Parents Do Now?

This is a moment to stay grounded, not panicked—and informed, not overwhelmed.

Here’s where your power lies:

1. Document everything.

Written communication creates accountability.

IDEA supports your right to transparency and participation.

2. Request data—not interpretations.

Data drives services, placement, and support.

Your child’s needs—not a system’s convenience—belong at the center.

3. Strengthen your advocacy skills.

When federal oversight shifts, local advocacy becomes even more essential.

4. Stay connected.

Parents do not navigate these systems alone.

Community matters. Support matters. Clarity matters.

A Final Word to Families

You are raising and advocating for children whose needs, brilliance, and lived experiences are often misunderstood. Anytime systems shift, uncertainty follows—and families of children with disabilities feel that uncertainty first.

But hear this clearly:

Your child’s rights did not disappear.

Your voice did not shrink.

Your advocacy is more important than ever.

The heart of special education has always been parents who refused to be silent, children who deserved better, and communities who stood strong when systems shifted around them.

That truth has not changed.