As President-elect Trump heads back to Washington, proposals forecast big changes to education

WASHINGTON — The 2024 election is over and Donald Trump is returning to Washington for another term as President of the United States.

The president-elect has proposed sweeping reforms to the Department of Education, including a proposal to dismantle the agency.

Trump’s campaign has also called for an expansion of parental rights in education and the dismantling of diversity initiatives.

“I’m going to close the Department of Education and move education back to the states. And we’re going to do it fast,” Trump said on the campaign trail.

The Trump campaign site says the administration would reverse any gender-affirming care policies implemented while President Joe Biden was in office and was supportive of a nationwide universal school choice program.

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School choice programs allow students’ portions of public school funds to be transferred to other options, like private schools or homeschooling.

However, Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, which is the largest labor union in the United States, worries the school choice option would hurt public school funding.

“Let’s call it what it is,” Pringle said. “It’s a voucher program. He intends on having a federal voucher program. We know that voucher programs take money away from our public schools.”

A second Trump presidency could also mean changes to Title IX.

During his last term in office, the Trump administration significantly changed how colleges handle sexual assault allegations on campus, including adding a requirement for schools to conduct live disciplinary hearings in sexual assault cases.

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