Disability Groups Alarmed by RFK Jr. Special Ed Role

Disability advocacy groups are raising urgent concerns after the Trump administration transferred oversight of the nation’s special education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services, placing roughly 7.5 million students with disabilities under the authority of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a prominent figure who has spent decades promoting debunked claims linking vaccines to autism.

On June 16, the administration announced it would move the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services from the Department of Education to HHS, while shifting the Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice. The move is part of a broader effort to dismantle the Education Department, a key goal of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 that President Donald Trump campaigned on, according to AP News.

A Philosophical Shift from Education to Medicine

Advocates argue that moving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — a landmark 1975 law guaranteeing free appropriate public education to children with disabilities — from an education-focused agency to a health-focused one represents a fundamental philosophical shift.

“Moving IDEA oversight into HHS pushes students with disabilities toward a medical model, where disability is treated as a diagnosis to manage instead of a natural part of human life,” Robyn Linscott, director of education and family policy at The Arc of the United States, told Mother Jones.

Jennifer Coco, interim executive director of the Center for Learner Equity, echoed that concern. “The IDEA is intended to equip students as they learn alongside their peers, not cure them — the HHS is not prepared to oversee and administer the IDEA program effectively,” she told AP News.

Kennedy’s Controversial Record on Autism

Central to advocates’ alarm is Kennedy’s long history of promoting discredited theories about vaccines and autism. As founder and former chairman of Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy has called the MMR vaccine “the biggest holocaust in medical history” and has repeatedly asserted — against overwhelming scientific evidence — that vaccines cause autism.

During his confirmation hearing in January 2025, Kennedy cited a deeply flawed paper to suggest a link between vaccines and autism, according to FactCheck.org. More recently, in an April 2026 House committee hearing, Kennedy defended his views and referred to a major Danish study finding no link between Tylenol and autism as a “garbage study,” as ABC News reported.

Kennedy has also pursued federal access to Americans’ medical records to research a vaccine-autism link, a project detailed by KFF Health News. The effort has drawn objections from public health leaders who question its legality and scientific validity.

“As autistic people, we don’t feel safe having RFK Jr. in charge of our education,” Cameron Lynch, a policy analyst at the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, told Mother Jones

Bipartisan Opposition and Legislative Push

The transfer has drawn rare bipartisan opposition. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia have both publicly committed to pursuing legislation to block the move, according to AP News. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, called the transfer “illegal,” arguing that only Congress has the authority to close the Education Department.

Workforce Reductions Raise Further Concerns

Both agencies involved are operating with significantly reduced workforces. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has shrunk by roughly a third since 2024, and the Office for Civil Rights is approximately 40% smaller, AP News reported. HHS itself has undergone mass layoffs, raising questions about its capacity to take on new responsibilities.

Rob Harris, an IEP advocate and parent of a blind child, captured the human stakes of the transition. “Families don’t experience the government through organizational charts,” he told AP News. “We experience it through the services our children receive.”

Analysis: A Fundamental Shift in How Disability Is Viewed

The transfer represents more than a bureaucratic reshuffling — it reflects a deeper ideological divide over how society should approach disability. The medical model, which frames disability as a condition to be treated or cured, stands in contrast to the educational model, which focuses on accommodation and equal access to learning. Advocates warn that placing special education under a secretary who has described autism as a condition that “destroys families” could reshape federal policy in ways that undermine decades of progress.

Kennedy has defended the move, arguing that “some of these programs should have always been under HHS purview” because they are “health-related programs.” But critics note that IDEA was deliberately placed within the Education Department when it was created in 1979 precisely because Congress recognized special education as an educational right, not a medical service.

What’s Next

With midterm elections approaching in November 2026, the administration’s education policies could become a significant campaign issue. Legal challenges are expected, and the bipartisan legislative effort to block the transfer — led by Sens. Cassidy and Kaine — faces an uncertain path through a divided Congress. For the 7.5 million students who rely on IDEA services, the coming months will determine whether the transition brings promised efficiencies or the disruption that advocates fear.