Who is impacted?

Students, families, and educators across the country face growing uncertainty as efforts to dismantle or defund the U.S. Department of Education gain political momentum. If federal protections and guidance vanish, children with disabilities could lose critical access to services guaranteed under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These laws are not optional—they’re civil rights guarantees that ensure every student receives a free and appropriate public education.

Families who move across state lines may struggle with incompatible standards and non-transferable credits. Teachers may face unnecessary red tape when seeking licensure in new states. And communities already stretched thin may see educational quality erode even further.

This isn’t a distant or abstract threat. It’s real, and it affects real people—kids who need support services, parents who rely on consistent systems, and educators trying to do their jobs across increasingly fragmented state lines.

What is at stake?

If states do not act together, we risk a future where special education supports vary wildly depending on where you live. IEPs may be inconsistently implemented—or disappear entirely. High school diplomas could lose their value across state borders. Academic standards could drop to the lowest common denominator. And equity—the promise that all students, regardless of background or ability, deserve a fair chance—will be the first casualty.

Already, over 7.3 million U.S. students receive special education services under IDEA. Without federal infrastructure, it will fall to individual states to uphold that commitment. Some may succeed. Others may not. The result? An unequal, fractured system where your ZIP code determines your future.

Teachers are already leaving the profession in record numbers. Without support and reciprocity in licensing, we risk making recruitment even harder—especially in high-need and rural areas.

Why is now the time to act?

This is the moment to lead, not wait. We call on state leaders—governors, legislators, and superintendents—to form an Interstate Education Coalition: a voluntary agreement to preserve rigorous academic standards, ensure credit and diploma portability, uphold teacher certification reciprocity, and most importantly, maintain our shared legal and moral commitment to students with disabilities.

Our kids deserve better than chaos. They deserve stability, opportunity, and the right to thrive—no matter what state they call home.

We may not be able to control what happens in Washington, D.C.—but we can shape what happens in each state. Let’s act before the moment passes.

Sign the petition. Share it. And let’s show the country that when we go local, we don’t have to go it alone.