The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and two public school districts in the state of Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.

The United Faculty Alliance (UFA), my faculty union at Northern Illinois University, is affiliated with the AFT and the AAUP and I support their lawsuit.

“The Trump administration’s campaign to dismantle the Education Department drew a court challenge on Monday, as opponents called the plan an attempt to evade congressional authority.

“The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Massachusetts by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of University Professors and a pair of public school districts in Massachusetts. It comes four days after President Trump signed an executive order that directed the education secretary, Linda McMahon, to ‘take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the department.’

“The day after the order, Mr. Trump announced that the Small Business Administration would assume control of the government’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio, and that the Health and Human Services Department would oversee nutrition programs and special education services.

“The Education Department, created in 1979, cannot be closed without Congress’s consent. The lawsuit argues that moves by the Trump administration since it came to power in January, including an effort to roughly halve the department’s work force, ‘will interfere with the department’s ability to carry out its statutorily required functions.’

“Ilana Krepchin, chairwoman of the Somerville, Mass., school committee, which is a plaintiff in the case, said that the Education Department is a ‘cornerstone of equitable public education.’

“‘Dismantling it would cause real harm — not only to our students and schools, but to communities across the country,’ Ms. Krepchin said.”

Blinder, Alan and Michael C. Bender, “Trump Administration Is Sued Over Push to Shut Education Department.” The New York Times (24 March 2025).

For more information on the lawsuit, see the AFT and AAUP websites.