Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is demanding answers after the Trump Administration gutted support for children with special needs in Department of Defense schools.
Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with the Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) requesting more information about their decision to eliminate all special education and speech language evaluators at every DoDEA school, who provide evaluations and support for students with learning differences to ensure they receive tailored instruction in speech, math, and reading.
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that 15% of all DoDEA students receive special education services, and 26% of those receiving special education experience speech impairments.
“I am specifically worried by the potential consequences of this decision on not only DoDEA students who receive special education services, but also special education teachers and support services staff who could bear additional duties when staffing for special education is already short,” Sen. Ossoff wrote.
“Accordingly, the same GAO report finds that special education staffing shortages, coupled with the resulting heavy workloads, contribute to the difficulty DoDEA schools face in educating students with disabilities,” Sen. Ossoff continued.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to support Georgia’s military families.
This week, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the Helping Heroes Act to expand supportive services for families of disabled veterans, including children taking on caregiving roles for their parents.
Last year, Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan Gold Star Children Education Act was signed into law to support the education of children after the loss of a parent who served.
Also in 2024, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Military Families Support Act, which would exempt active duty servicemembers from being deployed, mobilized, or sent to trainings away from their duty stations for a year, helping keep families together after welcoming a new child. The policy would also include servicemembers who adopt a child or those undergoing fertility treatment.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry.
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