Brandon Hurley for Lacey 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.