BOSTON – Worcester Superintendent of Schools Rachel Monárrez, PhD. and Mayor Joe Petty, who is also chair of the Worcester School Committee, released a statement on Thursday, May 22, praising a decision by a federal court judge to halt the termination of about half of the employees of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
The federal government announced on March 11 that DOE would cut 2,183 of its 4,133 employees by layoff or buyout. Two days later, 21 state attorneys general, led by the state of New York and including Massachusetts, filed suit against the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon.
On March 20, President Donald Trump issued an executive order which directed McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” Four days later, seven organizations, led by Sommerville Public Schools, filed suit against the administration.
Worcester Public Schools joined the Somerville case as a declarant, which is an interested party who files a statement as evidence in a civil case. The court consolidated the two cases, as they were similar.
“I am grateful to Judge Joun for recognizing the impact the Department of Education has and will continue to have for the nation’s children,” said Dr. Monárrez. “Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy. The DOE serves to protect children, provide guidance to states, and offers critical resources to school districts.”
“Judge Joun’s ruling is a win for the sanctity of the American education system,” Mayor Joseph M. Petty said. “I hope this move is the first of many stops to the dismantling of American systems we hold dear.”
U.S. District Court Judge Myong Joun in Boston issued a preliminary injunction which prohibits the Trump Administration from moving forward with the layoffs until the merits of the case are heard.
In the decision, the judge noted the DOE has the smallest number of employees of any cabinet level government department. The judge also noted the cuts will affect the ability to administer several acts of congress, including safeguarding the equal access to education required by multiple acts of Congress, including:
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans race discrimination and race-based harassment;
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bans sex discrimination and sexual harassment;
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which bans disability discrimination;
- Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which bans disability discrimination by public entities; and
- Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which created the federal student loan program.
The judge ruled that the layoffs at the scale proposed by the administration will likely cripple the Department. “The idea that Defendants’ actions are merely a ‘reorganization’ is plainly not true.”
The case led by the state of New York includes the states of Massachusetts, Hawai’i, California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and Vermont.
The case led by Somerville Public Schools includes Easthampton Public Schools, the American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, AFSCME Council 93, American Association of University Professors, and the Service Employees International Union.
