For Immediate Release: March 13, 2025
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
COLOR OF CHANGE REACTS TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S GUTTING OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, HURTING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
NATIONAL – In a direct effort to dismantle public education, the Trump Administration announced the firing of more than 1,300 employees from the Department of Education. This move guts the agency responsible for managing federal student loans, tracking student achievement, and enforcing civil rights protections in schools.
Today, the Education Department confirmed that in addition to these layoffs, 572 employees had already accepted separation packages, and 63 probationary workers were terminated last month. These cuts slash the department’s workforce by nearly half in less than two months under the Trump Administration, raising alarms about the future of critical education programs.
Portia Allen-Kyle, Interim Executive Director of Color Of Change, issued the following statement:
“The Trump Administration has shown, yet again, that they are willing to sacrifice the futures of Black students, students with disabilities, and working-class families to push their dangerous agenda. Gutting the Department of Education will send class sizes soaring, cut job training programs, take away special education services, and strip civil rights protections from the students who need them most. This is not about efficiency—it’s about undermining public education and making it harder for students of color to succeed.”
Throughout the most recent campaign, Donald Trump and the authors of Project 2025 repeatedly signaled the desire to dismantle the Department of Education. However, the department cannot be eliminated solely by executive order or by the Secretary of Education, which is why Congress must intervene.
Color Of Change demands that Congress intercede immediately before the damage to our public education system becomes irreversible. Donald Trump must be stopped from destroying the very foundation of opportunity for millions of students in our country.
“We will not stand idly by as Donald Trump and his extremist allies continue their direct attack on students, educators, and the future of public education in America.”
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ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by millions of members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org