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AET Position Statement opposing the move of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

 The Association of Educational Therapists (AET) strongly opposes the plan announced on June 16, 2026 by the U.S. Department of Education to shift key education oversight functions outside the Department. Under the announced interagency agreements, day-to-day management of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) would move to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) would work more closely with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on civil rights enforcement and student privacy.

These changes raise serious concerns about whether special education and civil rights protections will remain centered in educational expertise, school-based accountability, and students’ rights to a free appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For decades, IDEA has affirmed that students with disabilities are entitled to individualized instruction, services, and supports designed to help them learn and participate fully in school. Moving special education oversight toward a health and human services framework risks shifting the focus from educational access and skill development to a medical model of disability. Such a shift could weaken the emphasis on instruction, accommodations, intervention, and measurable educational progress—the very supports students need to thrive.

AET is also concerned that separating special education oversight from civil rights enforcement could create confusion for families, educators, and schools. Students with disabilities do not experience their educational needs in separate agency categories. They need a coherent federal education system that understands learning differences, protects access, and ensures accountability when services or accommodations are denied.

As educational therapists, AET members understand learning differences through an educational lens that recognizes strengths, builds skills, fosters independence, and supports lifelong success. AET remains committed to advocating for policies that preserve IDEA’s educational mission and ensure that students with disabilities continue to receive the instruction, services, and protections they need to succeed.

We urge Congress to keep Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Education. We call on AET members to please consider contacting their U.S. senators and representatives to ensure that special education remains grounded in education, civil rights, and student learning. This link will take you to a site to find your legislators: Find and contact elected officials | USAGov A guideline for writing letters to legislators is on the AET website: Social Justice And Public Policies - Association Of Educational Therapists