Left Behind: How Texas’ Education Overhaul Endangers Students with Disabilities and Students of Color

In Texas, the promise of equitable education is under threat. As lawmakers push forward with school voucher programs and calls to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education grow louder, the students most at risk — children of color and those receiving special education services — stand to lose the most. These policy shifts aren’t just political maneuvers. They are life-altering decisions for families already navigating systemic barriers. Advocates, educators, and parents are sounding the alarm, warning that the road ahead could dismantle decades of civil rights protections, drain public resources, and leave our most vulnerable learners behind.

Federal Oversight on the Chopping Block

The U.S. Department of Education has long served as a safeguard, ensuring states uphold civil rights, distribute equitable funding, and protect students with disabilities. But recent efforts tied to Project 2025 threaten to eliminate the department entirely.

Dr. Tiffany Clark, newly appointed to the Texas State Board of Education, doesn’t mince words.

“Let’s bring it back to Texas: what happens when the federal government is no longer involved? Can we trust Governor Abbott to protect civil rights, students with disabilities, and higher education? No,” she says. “We will lose Title I funding, the Office of Civil Rights, and access to services for students with disabilities, all diverted to private entities.”

For Dylan Rafaty, founder of the North Texas Disability Chamber and a lifelong advocate for inclusive education, the loss of federal oversight would be catastrophic.

“When you talk about removing the Department of Education, you’re talking about removing the oversight that protects students like me,” says Rafaty, who himself received special education services. “We’re dealing with protections under Section 504 and IDEA, critical rights that could vanish.”

The Voucher Mirage

While federal protections hang in the balance, Texas has also pushed through a controversial school voucher program, offering families “education savings accounts” that promise more options. But Clark and Rafaty both caution that the reality is far less inclusive than advertised.

“This bill is not designed for students of color. It’s for the people funding our Governor to get tax breaks,” Clark says. “It marginalizes students while claiming to help them.”

Rafaty, who testified at the Texas Capitol in support of public education, points out that most private schools are not legally required to follow federal disability laws like IDEA. Many don’t have the staff, expertise, or infrastructure to support students with disabilities at all.

“Private schools may charge $20,000 to $30,000 per year for a student with disabilities,” Rafaty explains. “The voucher might give a family $10,000. So then what? The financial gap becomes a barrier, and access isn’t guaranteed. These schools still get to choose who they admit.”

Both advocates say the narrative of “choice” rings hollow when many families, especially families of color and those raising children with disabilities, are excluded from the very options being promoted.

A System Set Up to Fail

Public schools in Texas are already under strain. The state’s basic per-student allotment hasn’t been adjusted since the pandemic and currently sits at around $6,100 once necessary costs like transportation and lunch are factored in.

“We’re in a funding crisis,” says Clark. “And instead of fixing the system, vouchers are being used to divert even more resources away from public education.”

Rafaty agrees, warning that long-term harm is inevitable.

“We may not be able to fully fund both public and private education,” he says. “Districts will be forced to close schools, cut programs, and underpay already overworked teachers. The fallout will hit students with disabilities and communities of color first and hardest.”

Safeguards Are Slipping Away

The erosion of public funding is only one piece of a larger strategy, Clark says, pointing to the Bluebonnet Curriculum, a religiously infused K–5 program recently fast-tracked in Texas.

“Districts are incentivized to adopt the Bluebonnet Curriculum with extra funds for printing materials,” she says. “But at what cost? Teachers shouldn’t have to choose between their values and their resources.”

And with fewer federal protections in place, families have fewer places to turn when their rights are violated.

“At one point, the Department of Education was responsible for such safeguards,” Clark says. “Going forward, it will be much more difficult to protect Black and brown students from discrimination.”

What Communities Can Do

Even amid uncertainty, both advocates remain committed to the fight for education equity, and they believe everyday people are essential to that mission.

“Parents need to be better informed about what’s happening,” Rafaty says. “And legislators need to hear directly from students with disabilities, not just from adults in the room.”

Clark adds that engagement is non-negotiable.

“Go to the parent conferences, join the PTA, show up to school board meetings,” she urges. “Even if you don’t consider yourself political, vote in every election. Because the people who do vote are deciding your child’s future.”

Despite the policy attacks and political noise, both Rafaty and Clark remain hopeful because of the people.

“Parents give me hope. Students give me hope,” Clark says. “Anyone who is paying attention and taking action is contributing to the fight against injustice in education.”

Rafaty echoes that call to action with a clear message to the public:

“Defend and fully fund public education. That’s the bottom line. Anything less puts vulnerable students, students like me, in harm’s way.”

And for me, this story is personal. I’m a parent of a child with autism, and for a long time, I didn’t think of myself as political. But what I’ve come to understand is that being informed is a form of advocacy. We don’t have the luxury of being uninformed while decisions are being made that will shape our children’s futures.

As Malcolm X once said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

If we want our children, all children regardless of race or ability, to have a future rooted in equity and opportunity, we must prepare now. That means staying informed, asking hard questions, and demanding accountability from leaders who do not always have our best interests at heart.

The time to act is now.