LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — News of President Donald Trump’s executive order to start the dismantling of the Department of Education has generated concerned from some Central Florida parents.
Lake County resident Mary Ashbaugh says she is extremely disappointed by the decision.
Her son George receives in-school services that she says have benefited him greatly.
And with the future of the Department of Education up in the air, she fears the same can be said about those services.
When it comes to her son and settling in after a day of school, Ashbaugh says it’s important to have a consistent schedule.
“The first thing he does when he gets home is jump on his Chromebook to see if he has any homework and he’s on it immediately,” Ashbaugh said.
Her son George spends two hours every day doing homework before he gets to what he really loves, which is playing with his devices.
George and his father love building train sets and RC planes together and have a whole room full of all of their projects.
Ashbaugh says George loves learning about new things like his train and plane sets, and the same goes for school.
But when it comes to school, he learns better with a little assistance.
“The teachers are just phenomenal because they know what he needs, they give him what he needs and they believe in him so much and he’s getting all A’s and B’s,” explained Ashbaugh.
George currently receives exceptional student education (special education) services at South Lake High School, where he is completely integrated in his classroom with his own Individualized Education Program (IEP).
But after Trump announced the process of dismantling the Department of Education Thursday, Ashbaugh is worried that those services will go away.
“I’ve been crying because of it,” Ashbaugh shared. “Because I’m terrified for his future because of what’s happening with the Department of Education.”
And without those services, she’s worried his development could be stunted.
“Without that, I don’t…I don’t know where he would be because I used to worry he would always be in a contained classroom,” said Ashbaugh. “Which, there’s nothing wrong with that, but he’s been able to blossom and go into mainstream and do really, really well.”
Ashbaugh says that Thursday’s executive order makes her extremely nervous about the state of education across the country and in Florida and hopes the state continues to support public schooling because private schools do not have to honor IEPs.
She says she does trust the Lake County School District and the folks at South Lake High school to continue to help her son, but she’s worried about the other students like George in the future.
