Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing his administration’s education secretary to “take all necessary steps” to effectively dissolve the Department of Education.
To entirely close the Education Department, Trump would need congressional support. But his efforts have already dealt the agency serious blows: Its workforce has been nearly cut in half, and it’s lost hundreds of millions of research dollars. As Trump advances his elimination of the department as we know it, let’s take a look at something that’s been largely left out of the national dialogue: what its loss would mean for students who’ve experienced gun violence.
Every year, roughly 6,300 children and teens in the U.S. survive a gun violence-related injury. That number is likely an undercount, as it is based on a pre-pandemic average, including data collected before gun violence became the leading cause of death for that group. Many young survivors need to return to public school, and the Education Department oversees the specific programs to help them do that, either by providing funding, other resources, or guaranteeing access to an equitable education.
One of the programs at stake is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which ensures that students with a wide range of physical and learning disabilities have equitable access to education. Another effort, the School Emergency Response to Violence program, also known as Project SERV, provides funding to help public school and university communities recover in the immediate aftermath of tragic events, like school shootings or nearby homicides.
Also under attack are the former administration’s efforts to dramatically extend educational resources to address gun violence under President Biden’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
The agency is also in charge of Title 1, which provides funding to school districts for economically disadvantaged students. About 63 percent of traditional public schools, including students in many rural and urban communities, are eligible for Title 1 funding. This is a big deal; research shows that equitable access to education can decrease suicide and homicide risk. The Title 1 program, although not perfect, is key to leveling the playing field in educational equity.
In his announcement last week, Trump said that he would keep programs like IDEA and Title 1, but he didn’t mention SERV. Without an Education Department, though, these key programs — already struggling to measure, research, and support students who’ve been affected by gun violence — are likely to fragment. Coordinating such efforts was one of the main reasons the agency was established over four decades ago.
Arne Duncan, a former secretary of education under President Barack Obama, told me that parents want to see a change, but this isn’t the way to get it. “Education is inextricably linked to gun violence,” said Duncan, who co-founded Chicago CRED, a gun violence prevention organization with a youth outreach program.
“For students who are exposed to gun violence, they are facing a number of factors that can limit their potential and education, which can often be the thing to change the trajectory of their life.”
— Fairriona Magee, public health reporter
From The Trace
What Questions Do You Have About Guns in America?: After a yearlong hiatus, we’re soliciting new questions for Ask The Trace, our reader-driven series about guns, gun violence, and the industry at large.
In Peoria, Illinois, Community Members Want Prosecutors to Solve More Gun Homicides: The vast majority of shooting victims are Black. Surviving families and local activists say the state’s attorney isn’t taking on enough cases.
It’s One of Philly’s Hardest Hit Neighborhoods, But a Plan to Fight Gun Violence Is Showing Promise: Once a thriving working-class community, Kensington has become infamous for drug use and violence. Now, after a year of intervention, homicides and shootings have dropped.
The Trace Is Hiring a Senior Grants Manager: As The Trace plans for the future and continues to evolve, we’re looking for a talented Senior Grants Manager to lead our robust Institutional Giving program.
What to Know Today
The Justice Department announced an interim rule that would create a path for some people with criminal convictions to have their gun rights restored. The rule comes after President Donald Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to review the Biden administration’s firearm policies, and after controversy within the DOJ over whether to restore actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights. While the move has been billed as a win for gun rights activists, the full picture is more complex. Per an analysis by law professors at Yale University and the University of Alabama, such a rule could help insulate gun regulations from legal challenges. [The New York Times/The Washington Post]
A federal appeals court upheld California’s ban on large-capacity magazines, ruling that because they are “optional accessories to firearms, and firearms operate as intended without a large-capacity magazine,” they are “neither ‘arms’ nor protected accessories.” The court also found that, even if large-capacity magazines were protected under the Second Amendment, California’s law would still be constitutional. The decision was not unanimous, and it elicited an unusual dissent: U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke’s opinion included a video showing him handling several firearms in his chambers. [Courthouse News Service/Associated Press]
The FBI cut staffing in its Domestic Terrorism Operations Section, an office that supports domestic terror probes run from field offices and provides information on domestic threats. The agency also discontinued use of a tool that helps identify trends and track investigations, according to sources familiar with the changes. The move is another indication that the Trump administration is deprioritizing domestic terrorism investigations, which have in recent years largely involved right-wing extremism. The administration is also cutting funding for academic and nonprofit programs meant to prevent terrorism. [Reuters/ProPublica]
March for Our Lives, the gun violence prevention organization founded after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, announced that it is laying off 13 of 16 full-time staffers amid financial challenges. The organization also named a new executive director, Parkland survivor and March for Our Lives co-founder Jaclyn Corin. [The 19th]
Chicago Police made fewer traffic stops last year — but far more ended in violence, even as law enforcement faced scrutiny for the high-profile killing of Dexter Reed, whom officers gunned down after pulling him over on a residential street. At the same time that the rate of reported use of force went up, more than 200,000 stops apparently went unreported to state officials. [Chicago Sun-Times]
In its 12th episode, the medical drama “The Pitt” depicted an emergency room in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting. The show, which has been praised by critics and medical workers, went to great lengths to create an accurate portrayal of an ER’s response to a mass-casualty event and the toll it can take on the people treating victims; research included speaking with physicians who were present for the massacres at Columbine, Aurora, and Las Vegas. [Vanity Fair]
Data Point
Nearly 20 percent — the proportion of the workforce cut from the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, which houses a grant program that since 2020 has awarded nearly $90 million to community groups and law enforcement agencies working at the local level to prevent terrorism and targeted violence such as mass shootings. [ProPublica]
Non Sequitur
The Game Designer Playing Through His Own Psyche
Davey Wreden found acclaim in his twenties, with the Stanley Parable and the Beginner’s Guide. His new game, Wanderstop, grapples with the depression that followed. [The New Yorker]
This newsletter was compiled by senior editor Sunny Sone.
Clarification: This Bulletin has been updated to clarify that President Donald Trump is moving to dismantle the Department of Education, but that he may encounter legal and Congressional hurdles.
