Our Children Deserve Protection — No Matter Who Wins in Trenton or Washington

By Brandon Hurley, Lacey Township Parent and Candidate for Board of Education

When Washington falters, New Jersey must rise.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education fired nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education. That's the division that manages funding and oversight for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). That office ensured that students with disabilities received the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) guaranteed to them under federal law.

Those layoffs not only eliminated jobs, they completely erased the people who process IDEA funding, monitor compliance, and make sure states uphold their legal responsibilities. Without them, the “checks and balances” that protect our children’s services disappear. Parents are left to wonder: Who will make sure our kids don’t get lost in the shuffle?

As both a father of a child with special needs and a candidate for our local Board of Education, I am sounding the alarm — calmly, clearly, and firmly. Lacey Township has amazing educators and dedicated families, but we rely on a functioning system of oversight and funding to keep services stable. If Washington can’t provide that, Trenton must. If Trenton can’t, then it’s on us at the local level. I refuse to let our children fall through the cracks.

That is why I’m calling on both gubernatorial candidates — regardless of party — to make an immediate, public commitment to the following:

1. Reaffirm your commitment to IDEA and FAPE in both policy and funding. These laws are not optional, and enforcement cannot be delayed or diluted.
2. Guarantee that New Jersey will maintain oversight and funding continuity for special education services even if federal administration collapses or shifts elsewhere.
3. Oppose any move to transfer special education oversight to the Department of Health and Human Services. Education must remain within the education system, not reclassified as a medical issue.

This is not a partisan argument. It’s a plea for leadership and compassion. Children with disabilities deserve stability and respect, not to become casualties of government gridlock or power struggles. The people who built IDEA fought for decades to ensure equal access to education. We cannot stand by quietly while those protections are weakened by politics or apathy.

Here in Lacey, we know what community looks like. We support our teachers, we show up for our students, and we take care of one another. Despite any current disputes, opinions of the Board of Education, or politics at any level, morality and decency have to prevail. I believe New Jersey can set the example by protecting its children when the federal government fails to do so.

Regardless of who wins, our children must be protected when and if Washington fails.

That’s not politics. That’s parenthood. That’s leadership. That’s decency.

—Brandon Hurley

Lacey Township Parent and Candidate for Board of Education

Students First. Teachers Supported. Lacey Respected.

Disclaimer: These views are my own and do not represent any federal agency.