Following his re-election to the presidency, Donald Trump has doubled down on his promise to shut down the Department of Education, prompting Americans to point out the potential dire consequences of such actions.
Conservatives have long called for the abolishment of the Department of Education due to their conspiracy theories that it’s the source of “wokeness” in schools. The plan to end the government department cropped up in Project 2025, with Trump soon adopting it as one of his campaign promises. In a concerning interview with Fox News, he confirmed his reason for the removal was so conservatives can control what schools teach. He stated that if schools taught about slavery or Indigenous people, for example, he would defund the schools. Recently, Trump provided further insight into his plans to radically change the American school system.
Donald Trump outlines his plans to destroy American education
A video of Trump’s 10-point plan for the American education system has circulated online. In the video, he reiterated his plan to close the Department of Education and give full power to the states in America’s education system. He also promised to defy the separation of Church and State and “will support bringing back prayer to schools.” Trump also claims that the focus of schools will be on education instead of “political indoctrination.” However, he follows that claim by stating schools will only be allowed “to teach students to love their country” and “not to hate their country like they are right now.” Of course, no students are being taught to “hate” America. What he means is that schools will teach right-wing propaganda instead of actual American history.
Trump’s plan is deeply concerning. Parents should decide whether they want their children exposed to religion or not. Prayer and religion do not belong in public schools. If prayer is permitted in schools and scholar boards are given free rein to do whatever they want, many schools will quickly transform into religious indoctrination institutes. Trump wants to put education in the hands of parents and school boards, but those are the people who have banned thousands of books in schools nationwide. Those are the people who have labeled Wampanoag history books “fiction,” redacted science textbook chapters that don’t support the “Creation theory,” advocated for burning books, and claimed they can’t teach students about America’s history of racism and slavery because they’re scared it will make students feel bad about themselves.
Americans have also pointed out other dire consequences of Trump’s plan, including the fact that it will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable students by stripping away aid and resources intended for underprivileged students and students with disabilities. Students are going to struggle to secure federal assistance to pay for higher education, and programs for students with disabilities will likely disappear. Many users pointed out that the states with the lowest education rates voted for Trump, making some wonder if that’s why he wants to further inhibit education.
Despite Trump’s threats, many remain skeptical of whether he can shut down the Department of Education. Trump can’t just order the department to be shut down on his first day in office, as it requires an act of Congress. Even when Republicans controlled both the Senate and House during Trump’s first presidency, it demonstrated reluctance to make radical changes to the department. It’s possible Trump’s latest initiative will be quickly shot down.
Even so, his threats to the education system are concerning. The Department of Education is responsible for oversight and supervision, including striving to protect the safety of marginalized students and requiring schools to maintain reports and meet conditions before giving funding. While it does make up only a portion of all school funding, the schools that rely most heavily on federal aid will suffer greatly. Meanwhile, giving money to the states with no oversight and conditions is a recipe for disaster, especially when we already have schools scheming to spend tens of thousands of dollars meant for students and teachers to fill classrooms with Bibles. Truly, nothing good can come from Trump getting his way with the education system.
Published: Nov 11, 2024 05:45 pm