Last week, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. He’s given Education Secretary Linda McMahon the authority to gut the department but a full closure would likely require an act of Congress.
One of the first moves from the Trump administration was the closure of half of the country’s offices of Civil Rights within the Education Department including the one here in Cleveland.
Those offices tracked complaints around discrimination and worked to intervene on behalf of parents and students.
Tuesday on the “Sound of Ideas,” we’ll discuss the closure of that Cleveland office, and what it means for students across the region.
The president also recently announced that the department's "special needs" programs would be moved to other federal agencies immediately. These programs fund more than $15 billion in aid for special needs students.
Then, we hear from Roya Rahmani, the former ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States. She was the first woman to hold that position, and served until the US withdrew from Afghanistan back in 2021.
Finally, a preview of the movie “Lost and Found in Cleveland” which will be airing during this year’s Cleveland International Film Festival.
Guests:
- Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
- Kristin Hildebrant, Senior Attorney and Special Education Team Leader, Disability Rights Ohio
- Roya Rahmani, Former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States
- Kabir Bhatia, Senior Arts Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
- Keith Gerchak, Director and Writer, Lost & Found in Cleveland
- Marisa Guterman, Director and Writer, Lost & Found in Cleveland
