March 21, 2025
The Honorable Linda McMahon
Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Dear Secretary McMahon,
On behalf of the National Parents Union, we write to express our deep concern about the recent changes made at the U.S. Department of Education and therefore the ability to ensure that all students across the country receive a high-quality education. The recent reductions in staff at the Department raise critical questions about the federal government’s capacity to uphold its responsibilities in protecting students’ rights and ensuring that all children, regardless of zip code, have access to an excellent education.
While we support efforts to create greater efficiencies, expand choice, and provide more flexibility for families and educators, these objectives must be accompanied by appropriate federal oversight to ensure meaningful results for students. Transparency and accountability remain paramount, and we seek clarity on the specific offices and positions impacted by these cuts to better understand how the Department will continue to fulfill its mission.
Given these pressing concerns, we respectfully request a meeting with you at your earliest convenience to discuss the following critical issues, based on the actual concerns of American families.
- Ensuring NAEP Remains a Reliable Tool for Tracking Student Progress
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is an essential metric for evaluating student achievement and informing education policy decisions. Without a clear and consistent line of sight into student progress, we risk compromising our nation’s global competitiveness and limiting opportunities for the next generation. We seek your reassurance that NAEP will remain a robust and reliable instrument for assessing student learning nationwide.
- Maintaining the Federal Backstop on Assessments and Accountability
A government committed to serving students must prioritize family and community engagement, not gut it. The Department’s decision to cut back on its ability to provide transparent information about school performance and funding silences the voices of parents who are fighting for better educational opportunities for their children. This move contradicts the Department’s responsibility to ensure that federal funds supplement—not supplant—state and local education funding, a critical safeguard that protects public education investments.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA) establishes critical guardrails to ensure that states and districts measure student progress and are held accountable for student outcomes. We are concerned about how the Department will fully implement and enforce ESEA’s provisions given the reduced staff capacity. We request clarity on the specific strategies and resources that will be deployed to uphold assessment and accountability measures and maintain equitable educational opportunities for all students.
- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that the Department monitor state compliance and support students with disabilities. These students already face systemic barriers to receiving the services they are entitled to under the law. We are concerned that significantly reducing the workforce responsible for IDEA oversight, the Department risks failing millions of children who rely on these protections. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) plays a crucial role in ensuring that schools comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, including protections for students with disabilities. Despite an alarming backlog of complaints, OCR’s staffing levels have been slashed, jeopardizing the timely resolution of cases. The Department’s failure to uphold these protections will leave families with little recourse when their children experience discrimination.We request clarity around how this backlog will be addressed and how complaints will be handled moving forward.
- Families rely on the Department’s effective administration of Pell Grants, FAFSA, and other student aid programs to make college accessible. The reduction in force includes devastating cuts to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) and the Borrower Defense to Repayment unit, which ensures that students who were defrauded by predatory colleges receive relief. The Department’s layoffs also targeted oversight teams responsible for monitoring student loan servicers—raising serious concerns for American families about mismanagement, increased borrower distress, and diminished accountability. Given the struggles of the previous administration in migrating to a new system, how will the Department ensure students and families will not have services disrupted?
- Briefing on Parent Perspectives and Support for Public School Choice
Our latest National Parents Union poll demonstrates strong bipartisan support for enhancing public school choice and expanding open enrollment policies. Parents across the country want more opportunities to select the best educational environment for their children, and we believe it is imperative that their voices inform federal education policy. We would appreciate the opportunity to brief you on these findings and discuss how we can work collaboratively to ensure that parent priorities remain at the forefront of education policy decisions.
We look forward to your response and the opportunity to meet with you soon. Thank you for your attention to these critical matters and for your ongoing commitment to the education and well-being of America’s students.
Sincerely,
Keri Rodrigues
President, National Parents Union
Ariel Taylor Smith
Senior Director of Policy and Action, National Parents Union