Families of Special Needs Students Uncertain about Dismantling U.S. Education Department
President Trump signed an executive order today to shut down the U.S. Department of Education. The White House has not detailed which functions of the Education Department are to be outright eliminated or reassigned to other agencies. It would take an act of Congress to dismantle it, but we have already seen changes and cuts leading up to today’s order. The Trump administration cut the workforce by half including staff at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that is charged with stopping discrimination against students based on race, origin, sex, age, and disability. The Education Department distributes billions of dollars to schools, oversees federal student loans, and regulates equity in education by enforcing laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 that prohibits discrimination based on disability. Central Florida Public Media Education Reporter Danielle Prieur joins Engage to discuss the impact of the cuts on Central Florida students, families, and communities.
A Seminole County family is sharing their concerns about cuts to the U.S. Department of Education reducing the services that serve students with special needs. David White is the father of six including a son with complex medical needs who has an Individualized Education Plan and medical management plans. When Hayden was born, he was less than two pounds and given less than a 5% chance of survival. Today, he is eight years-old, non-verbal and wheelchair bound. David says there are periods when his son is getting better and other times when he regresses and things turn for the worse. David White joins Engage to talk about the changes at the U.S. Department of Education and the protections in place for his son.
When we reached out the Florida Department of Education, they directed us to an opinion article published in the Wall Street Journal Tuesday written by Governor DeSantis. It’s titled, "Good Riddance to the U.S. Education Department." In it, he supports abolishing the department and reinvigorating state control of education.
Cursive Instruction in Schools
Cursive is a style of writing where the letters and characters are connected. It requires a level of penmanship and knowledge to interpret and execute the fluidity of the words. Some of the most important historic documents like the Declaration of Independence are written in it. This morning, a Florida House Education committee approved and advanced a bill requiring public school students learn and be proficient in cursive by the end of fifth grade. Currently, the state requires cursive instruction but there is no testing proving comprehension. The bill sponsor, Republican Toby Overdorf, joins Engage to talk about why this is a priority for him during the legislative session.
Enrique Puig, Director of the Morgridge International Reading Center at UCF, joins Engage to talk about the developmental benefits of learning cursive. He also has experience teaching in K-12 classrooms and literary coaching.
Exhibit Examines Kids' Interpretation of Art
The Rollins Museum of Art is offering insight into the way children construct and communicate their understanding of the world through a unique exhibit on display now. It’s called Symbolic Languages, and it was curated by kids. It’s part of a study on the artistic preferences of children and how they evaluate and interpret works of art. Researchers were able to use technology to track the eyes of the young observers. David Matteson is the Associate Curator of Education for the Rollins Museum of Art. Alice Davidson is Executive Director of the Child Development Center and Professor of psychology at Rollins College. They both join Engage to discuss the exhibit featuring the children’s interpretations of the fine art on display and artwork created by the preschoolers. Museum admission is free and it is open to the public.
