People who want to save the Department of Education held what they called a “study in” outside the department’s headquarters in D.C. on Friday.
A small group set up school desks on the sidewalk with signs taped on them that read “Kids deserve good schools” and “Trump, stop stealing from kids.”
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education. Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump ran on the notion that the Education Department is wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology.
Educators from around the region have voiced their concerns over what would happen if the department was dissolved, including funding for special education programs and access to meals at schools.
Organizer Adah Crandall with the Sunrise Movement said the fight is not over.
“This is not about efficiency, this is about everyday people who want to go to school and want to learn,” she said.
The group said it will stay in front of the Department of Education, until the Department of Government Efficiency’s head, Elon Musk, “comes to confront us directly and look us in the eye and justify how he can do these things,” Crandall chanted.
Another protester who did not give her name said, “Our country is founded on equal opportunity — that opportunity starts with public education.”
Crandall said she’s concerned the Trump administration will try to eliminate other agencies as well, adding, “we cannot sit here and let this happen, we must fight back.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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