Van Hollen, Colleagues Press Trump Administration on Need for Dedicated Leadership for Students with Disabilities After Abrupt Resignation of Department of Education Assistant[...]

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and ten of his colleagues called on Department of Education (ED) Secretary Linda McMahon to cease further disruption of IDEA programs that support essential services for students with disabilities, families, educators, and schools following the abrupt resignation of Kelly Rogers, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS). The lawmakers stressed the urgent need for dedicated leadership to serve students with disabilities and also urged Secretary McMahon to stop the transfer of OSERS to the Department of Health and Human Services, in order to avoid further disruption to critical student services and those who support them.

Senator Van Hollen was joined in sending this letter by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.).

The lawmakers begin, "We write to express our concern at the abrupt resignation of Acting Assistant Secretary Kelly Rogers amid the disruptive transfer of Department of Education workers who serve students with disabilities. As the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) at the Department of Education (the Department), it was Ms. Rogers' role to oversee IDEA programs that provide essential services and supports to students, families, educators, and schools. In your Department, that meant she was tasked with executing the harmful and unnecessary transfer of these education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Ms. Rogers' resignation was announced the day before the dedicated staff was required to show up at HHS and effective the day after. Since the Department is following through with the transfer of workers and critical programs without educational leadership, every OSERS employee will be forced to carry out this transition with little guidance and even less oversight."

"The absence of meaningful OSERS leadership as students head back to school underscores the emptiness of this administration's public commitments to students with disabilities and longstanding federal law. Students with disabilities need stability and unwavering implementation of special education law and civil rights protections. Without federal commitment or a dedicated leader, students with disabilities and their families will suffer the consequences," they continue.

"Ms. Rogers' resignation and the temporary appointment of a replacement carrying other critical responsibilities only adds to the Trump administration's disruption to public education. We urge you to stop the chaotic transfer of OSERS to HHS and to ensure that there is dedicated, experienced leadership capable of providing students with disabilities the quality education they deserve," the lawmakers conclude.

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary McMahon:

We write to express our concern at the abrupt resignation of Acting Assistant Secretary Kelly Rogers amid the disruptive transfer of Department of Education workers who serve students with disabilities. As the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) at the Department of Education (the Department), it was Ms. Rogers' role to oversee IDEA programs that provide essential services and supports to students, families, educators, and schools. In your Department, that meant she was tasked with executing the harmful and unnecessary transfer of these education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Ms. Rogers' resignation was announced the day before the dedicated staff was required to show up at HHS and effective the day after. Since the Department is following through with the transfer of workers and critical programs without educational leadership, every OSERS employee will be forced to carry out this transition with little guidance and even less oversight.

Ms. Rogers resigned after four months of serving in this critical position. She was appointed in May 2026, just weeks before the transfer was announced, and expressed public enthusiasm over the opportunity to "modernize oversight" and "reduce barriers" with the move. Now, she is gone. While the Department has made the choice to temporarily appoint the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education to replace Ms. Rogers, students with disabilities and the workers who serve them deserve undivided guidance and oversight. The students and families who depend on OSERS have no accountable leadership, and the dedicated staff face massive structural change and disruption with the threat of further staffing cuts as proposed in the FY27 budget.

The absence of meaningful OSERS leadership as students head back to school underscores the emptiness of this administration's public commitments to students with disabilities and longstanding federal law. Students with disabilities need stability and unwavering implementation of special education law and civil rights protections. Without federal commitment or a dedicated leader, students with disabilities and their families will suffer the consequences.

Ms. Rogers' resignation and the temporary appointment of a replacement carrying other critical responsibilities only adds to the Trump administration's disruption to public education. We urge you to stop the chaotic transfer of OSERS to HHS and to ensure that there is dedicated, experienced leadership capable of providing students with disabilities the quality education they deserve.