Christine Smith Olsey knew something was wrong with her son’s education, even though school officials urged her to trust the experts. Her second-grade child struggled with reading and was constantly teased by classmates, which led him to call himself “an idiot.”
Despite her son receiving speech and occupational therapy, Smith Olsey said the charter school in Denver resisted her requests for more academic support. She filed a complaint with the state and, later, with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights in September.
However, in January, her son’s case came to a sudden halt.
“I have to postpone meetings with you to discuss the case,” a mediator from the department wrote on January 23, just days after President Donald Trump took office. “I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will be in touch as I am able.”
As the Trump administration began reshaping the Education Department, investigations and mediations concerning disability rights were delayed or put on hold.
The department’s civil rights office has long played a key role in protecting children with disabilities. It enforces the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which ensures that students with disabilities receive the accommodations they need to learn. Many complaints to the office have involved accusations of schools failing to provide necessary support for disabled students, as required by federal law.
