As Trump Signs Order to Dismantle Dept. of Education, Rep. Kiggans Stays Silent

Virginia Beach, VA – After firing nearly half of their workforce last week, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at dismantling and shuttering the Department of Education. Officially closing the Department would still require an act of Congress. Affordable Virginia put out the following statement in response:

“As a special education teacher, I have witnessed firsthand how essential the Department of Education is to ensuring every child in Virginia has access to the tools they need to succeed,” said Justin Burns, Virginia Beach teacher. “We know that state funding has created unequal funding based on locality – so kids in a wealthier zip code get better-funded education. The Department of Education fills in the gaps so that kids, regardless of zip code or tax bracket, will have the support they need to fully access education. Whether that’s a reading tutor, speech pathologist, or autism specialist – these are essential roles that will go away without funding from the Department of Education.”

“Every day, President Trump chips away at our democracy, and there can be no democracy without education,” said Emily Yeatts, Affordable Virginia Campaigns Director. “This is an attack on our basic human rights. Everyone deserves a world-class education. Without the Department of Education, students will suffer. This will impact our communities for generations. Access to an equitable education has been a hard-fought battle, from school integration to ADA accessibility, and by eliminating the department we will see inequality continue to rise, and education return to something only accessible to the wealthy. We are urging Representative Kiggans to stand up for students!”

###