As the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) continues to offload many of its responsibilities to other federal agencies, advocates and lawmakers are pleading for special education services to remain under the jurisdiction of the USDE. 

On March 5, 2026, several special education administrative and advocacy organizations led a National Call-in Day aimed at pressuring federal lawmakers to oppose the transfer of special education and civil rights responsibilities out of the USDE.

Currently, the USDE continues to consider moving special education services to another agency “without any explanation of how this benefits students and families,” Chad Rummel, executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), said in an email to K-12 Dive. CEC, a nonprofit for professionals who work in special and gifted education, was one of the groups behind the National Call-in Day.

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