I asked my son if he wanted to use the Sunflower Program the last time we took a flight. This is a program at many airports where you can choose to wear a sunflower themed lanyard or wear the symbol of a sunflower to denote you have a hidden disability. From their website, “The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a simple tool for you to voluntarily share that you have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent – and that you may need a helping hand, understanding, or more time in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces.” My son said, “no thanks”. I was honestly surprised.
My son asked the very good question, “Why can’t they just provide those things to everyone? Why can’t they be patient and kind because we’re human?” I wasn’t expecting it, so I just pondered on his thoughts for a while. He’s right, but the Sunflower Program does exist for a reason. People don’t always do what’s right.
This is why the Office of Civil Rights in the Federal Department of Education is so important to so many of us. While I never filed a complaint myself, it is a tool against discrimination that many use to make sure laws are enforced. The agency is specifically responsible for enforcing two laws that prohibit discrimination based on disability in public education. These two laws are Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Laws without agency and enforcement are meaningless. This is why the dismantling and moving of the Department of Education is so frightening so many parents with students who are vulnerable.
The right keeps arguing that their simply reorganizing. That nothing with funding will change despite already seeing grants and funding disappear from teacher training programs. Of course I understand the idea of block grants to our states. However, how much do you trust your state? Who makes sure they’re doing their job? Having a dedicated department of education ensures that education access doesn’t get lost in a larger department especially as we see the federal workforce be dismantled. Having a separate department sends a message that we care and prioritize the education of children in this country.
The scariest concept to me at all is moving anything right now into the Department of Health and Human Services. RFKJr is at the helm. A person who has zero training in health and human services let alone education and the welfare of children. His callous and absolutely wrong views of vaccines is just one example. Vaccines are imperative to keeping our public spaces like public schools safe. However, if you research his views on ADHD and Autism it just gets worse. How can you protect these kids if you don’t see their humanity?
The Department of Education and our Federal Government does a lot of good for education and at the very least has tracked and collected data which can or should be used to better understand our systems and how we can make them better for all students. Yes, that means tracking how race intersects with those systems and how we can make sure we’re not disproportionally discriminating or withholding access to key learning for Black and Brown students. From magnet schools to crucial grants to agencies like the Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center, many of us benefit from the Department of Education.
My child is correct. We shouldn’t need a law to tell us be kind and good citizens. Yet we also know that racism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, and a host of other bias persist in our society. Last night I went before the Wake County School Board during public comment and asked them to provide actions that support our disability community. Going forward without strong dedicated federal protections this might be only leverage we have going forward. Our voices standing as a community to remind our school boards we’re watching and we care about the lives of our vulnerable students.
If I can I’ll clip a video of my public comment, but in the meantime you may read it here.