From the impact of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education to concerns about being challenged for using a student’s preferred pronouns, teachers have many questions about the rapidly changing education landscape.
CEA is actively tracking key policies on the local, state, and federal levels, analyzing their impact, and providing members with tools and resources to stay ahead of the issues.
To keep members in the know, CEA released a legal bulletin this week explaining how executive orders are reshaping policies that impact students, teachers, and school communities. Read the bulletin for help navigating the evolving landscape.
CEA is also hosting a new biweekly webinar, What’re The Facts, to discuss the most pressing issues facing our classrooms. The first webinar was held Monday, February 10, and the next takes place Monday, February 24, at 4 p.m. Register for the February 24 webinar today.
Many educators are concerned about an executive order that prohibits teachers from using a student’s preferred name and pronouns and wonder if they will face repercussions if they do so.
“We do not anticipate in the State of Connecticut any sort of prosecution for individuals that are utilizing preferred pronouns,” CEA President Kate Dias told members who joined the first What’re The Facts webinar.
CEA’s Legal Department advises teachers that they should not fear prosecution because the president cannot direct states and school districts on how to enforce laws. Moreover, it is state and local laws and policies, not federal law, that govern how educators instruct and support students.
With a hearing for President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, scheduled for Thursday, the future of the Department of Education is on many teachers’ minds.
“An executive order cannot undo what Congress has done,” said Dias. “The Department of Education as well as many funding programs cannot be undone with an Executive Order. ”
Dias said that federal grants fundamental to our schools, including those associated with IDEA, career and technical education, adult education, literacy, and Pell Grants can’t be wiped away by an executive order.
“Doing away with those would require action by Congress,” she said.
She cautioned that some other grants schools rely on could be subject to pause and review. These grants include those directed to comprehensive state literacy development, targeted academic achievement, special programs for migrant students, and expanded opportunities for students of color. Some special education grants could also be impacted including those related to state personnel, parent information centers, educational technology, media and materials, the Special Olympics education program, and others.
“If they decide to move the major grant programs to a new department, one of the primary targets may be the college student loan program, so that’s a real consideration—what it would look like if the student loan program is moved,” she said.
Dias said that if programs are moved around, it’s possible that borrowers’ student loan history could get wiped out.
“Printing out all your statements and making sure that you have those saved, that would be the bottom line. I would do that if you are involved with any federal program of any kind, including student loans, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid—any of those federally supported programs. You’re going to want to go into your account and make sure that you have copies of any of the paperwork involved because, as they move those divisions, it’s possible that histories could get lost.”
She suggested that student loan borrowers consider the seven actions recommended here to protect their information and borrowing history.
Dias and CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey along with other members of CEA’s governance team are joining leaders of other NEA state affiliates in Washington, D.C. for activism and advocacy opportunities this week
“We will be taking concerted actions to support fully funding and protecting not just public education but also children and teachers,” Dias said.
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