Mark Takano: “It is always an honor and a pleasure to work with the gentlewoman from Connecticut, a distinguished National Teacher of…”

“It is always an honor and a pleasure to work with the gentlewoman from Connecticut, a distinguished National Teacher of the Year and an amazing educator who, like myself, went from the classroom to the Halls of Congress to advocate for our students nationally. The promise of a free and quality education is a vital part of the American Dream. The embodiment of that promise came in 1975 when Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to ensure that children with disabilities could receive a free, fair, and equal education. This landmark legislation changed the lives of millions of Americans. The disabled children's right to an education would not only be recognized, but it would be funded and enforced nationwide. Today, 7.5 million students rely on IDEA funding, and that is nearly one in seven students whose specialized education is funded in part by the Department of Education. Every school district in the country has families that have benefited from the IDEA, and its 50 years of enactment have improved public education for all students. That is why the Trump administration's actions to gut staffing at the Department of Education and move the Office of Special Education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services is so devastating.”