Former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that he has dismantled the Department of Education.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) notes that the announcement came during American Education Week, an annual event highlighting public education in the United States.
Trump stated that he has handed control of educational matters to individual states, arguing that they are best positioned to serve students’ needs.
He said the move was intended to empower students and families while prioritizing choice and innovation in schools.
The president described the decision as a step toward building an education system that prepares children to lead, secures a stronger future, and fosters moral and intellectual development.
Trump’s executive order to dismantle the department was issued earlier this year, but the agency remains operational, albeit with fewer staff.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon confirmed that while the department continues to enforce civil rights laws and promote practical degree programs, the agency is gradually reducing its operations.
The announcement drew immediate criticism from the National Education Association (NEA), the country’s largest teachers’ union and a founding organizer of American Education Week.
NEA President Becky Pringle said the plan is like a “wrecking ball” aimed at public schools and students’ futures.
Pringle warned that Trump’s actions could increase class sizes, cut job training programs, raise higher education costs, and reduce support for students with disabilities.
She added that civil rights protections for students might also be undermined if the department is fully dismantled.
Trump argued that the department had allowed schools to become “laboratories” for ideologies he opposed and that removing its influence would restore common sense to classrooms.
He claimed the initiative returns authority to parents and promotes a generation of thinkers, builders, and leaders prepared to advance the nation.
The former president further described his plan as a pathway to America’s “Golden Age,” emphasizing culture, education, and national strength.
Analysts note that the claim of dismantling the department is largely symbolic, as the federal education bureaucracy continues to function.
Critics argue that reducing the department’s authority could create disparities in educational quality across states.
Supporters, however, praise the shift as giving local communities more control over school curricula and priorities.
The debate underscores broader tensions in U.S. education policy, balancing federal oversight, state control, and the rights of students and parents.
The controversy over Trump’s education reforms is expected to continue, especially as debates about curriculum content, funding, and school choice intensify nationwide.
