Somerville Public Schools et al v. Trump et al
Court: District of Massachusetts
Overview:
In March 2025, half of the staff of the U.S. Department of Education were fired. Many of these staff had roles that helped students with disabilities. A coalition of educators, school districts, and unions has filed a lawsuit to stop the mass layoffs and dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. The lawsuit argues that these actions violate the Constitution and federal law and must be stopped.
Case Documents:
- Complaint
- Motion for Preliminary Injunction
- Declaration of Katy Neas, The Arc US, in Support of PI
- Decision on Consolidated Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction
Resources:
- Case Explainer
- Video Update for Chapters on Federal Education Policy
- Democracy Forward Case Page: Educators, School Districts, and Workers Sue to Stop Trump’s Plan to Dismantle the Department of Education
Media
- Newsweek: Department of Education Helps Students With Disabilities. Don’t Let It Disappear | Opinion
- CNN: Dismantling the Department of Education will strip resources from disabled children, parents and advocates say
- New York Times: Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Dismantling Education Department
- Washington Post: Shutdown layoffs target services for vulnerable students, homeless, seniors
- Associated Press: Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement
- Mother Jones: Trump’s New Layoffs Hurt Disabled Kids
- Hechinger Report: Parents, advocates alarmed as Trump leverages shutdown to gut special education office
- CNN News Central: The Arc CEO Katy Neas discusses impacts of Department of Education staffing cuts
- New York Times: White House Guts Education Department With More Layoffs
- Parents Magazine: 7 Ways the Department of Education Supports Your Kids’ School
- HuffPost: Trump Signs Executive Order To Dismantle The Department of Education
- Quartz: Trump wants to dismantle the Department of Education. Here are 6 services that could vanish
- NPR: How the Education Department helps students with disabilities get an education
- Hechinger Report: Special education and Trump: What parents and schools need to know
- States Newsroom: ‘Really scared’: Parents of kids with disabilities confront Education Department chaos
- CBS Mornings: Federal agencies face pressure to cut jobs as employees weigh buyout offers
