Republican lawmakers are dismantling the public school system, jeopardizing the accessibility of education and its vital role in our democracy.

On March 20, President Trump signed an executive order eliminating the Department of Education. Since its establishment, the Department of Education has enabled public schools to function through federal funding. The Department of Education aims to “ensure equal access,” meaning that all schools are funded in rural and urban areas alike; regardless of what taxpayers in the district contribute.

The impact this order can have on the public education system is becoming evident for Hoosiers in real-time. In April, Indiana senators passed a bill that would make it difficult for public school districts in low-income communities to get funding. Specifically, districts in Gary are at an extreme risk of being completely closed before 2030.

The bill proposes that in any area where charter and private schools maintain over 50 percent of the district’s population, the public schools will be shut down or turned into charter schools. Charter schools have far fewer state regulations than public schools with their administrations being run by local boards hired by the charter rather than school boards run by elected community members. It seems as though this is the exact opposite of what Trump’s executive order aimed to achieve.

Another piece of Bill 1002 is the ending of social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care and cultural competency teaching. Upon reading this, my heart was crushed. For some kids, school is the only safe place in a world of chaos; to take away teacher’s training that educates them on how effectively to deal with children who are in emotional distress is to completely ignore the needs of the most vulnerable and underserved children in our communities.

Sen. Gary Byrne stated in an Indianapolis Star article that “Teachers should be focusing on academic rigor, math, science, reading, writing and technical skills, instead of emotional regulation, empathy.” Once again, I was so disappointed in the leaders of our state. Sen. Byrne’s statement that teachers should be focused on academic rigor rather than emotional regulation and empathy feels ignorant and privileged. While I agree that academia is important, education and empathy go hand in hand. Children are sponges and most malleable during their early years. If schools focus solely on academic rigor, how will children learn social-emotional skills, such as empathy, kindness and understanding?

My fear is that with these new laws and regulations, access to education will be limited for children living in low-income communities. Furthermore, with the end of teachers being taught social-emotional skills, these same children will be further underserved in their schools.