Disability Groups Blast RFK Jr.'s Special Education Role After Autism Remarks on 6 Federal Agency Transfers
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
Disability Groups Blast RFK Jr.'s Special Education Role After Autism Remarks on 6 Federal Agency Transfers
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
Summary
Disability advocates say putting Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of special education will harm students, arguing his autism comments make him unfit to oversee disability programs.
Kennedy said earlier this year that children with autism would never hold a job, play baseball or go on a date, then narrowed the claim to severe cases while still arguing special education belongs in HHS.
Groups including The Arc say that shift risks treating disabled students as medical conditions rather than children to be educated, exposing what they call a basic misunderstanding of their potential in school and beyond.
The reassignment is part of the Trump administration's broader push to dismantle the Education Department, which cannot be closed without Congress even as tens of billions of dollars in programs are being moved to 6 executive agencies.
With special education now under health officials, what does a 'successful' outcome for a disabled student look like?
Could reframing disability as a health issue, not an educational one, dismantle 50 years of student rights?
Federal Education Overhaul 2026: Special Education and Civil Rights Oversight Transferred Amid National Backlash
Overview
In June 2026, the U.S. Department of Education began transferring its main oversight roles—special education and civil rights enforcement—to other federal agencies. This major shift means the Department will no longer directly manage these critical areas, affecting millions of students who depend on federal protections and funding. The move is part of a broader plan to reduce the federal government’s role in education, as outlined in Project 2025, and raises concerns about the future of support for students with disabilities and efforts to ensure equity in schools. The change marks a fundamental rethinking of federal involvement in education.