Trump's order limits Washington 'dictates' on K-12 schools

FPI / December 26, 2019

Among the many campaign promises President Donald Trump has followed through on in 2019 is returning control of schools to the state and local level.

Trump signed an executive order — the “Education Federalism Executive Order” — which called for a review of Obama-era regulations and guidance for school districts and directs Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to modify or repeal measures she deems an overreach by the federal government, The Washington Times reported.

“For too long the government has imposed its will on state and local governments. The result has been education that spends more and achieves far, far, far less,” Trump said.

“My administration has been working to reverse this federal power grab and give power back to families, cities [and] states — give power back to localities.”

The president said that previous administrations had increasingly forced schools to comply with “whims and dictates” from Washington, but his administration would break the trend.

“We know local communities know it best and do it best,” said Trump. “The time has come to empower teachers and parents to make the decisions that help their students achieve success.”

The review will be spearheaded by the Department of Education’s Regulatory Review Task Force, according to the order.

DeVos already has authority to modify or repeal regulations that are deemed a violation of federal law. Trump’s executive order creates a review for identifying those areas and makes clear her mandate from the president to take action, the Times’ report noted.

Trump’s education reform agenda also includes the expansion of school choice programs.

Free Press International