The Department of Education (DOE) is preparing for significant layoffs, with “reduction in force” notices set to be distributed Tuesday evening, according to two sources who spoke with ABC News.
The notifications are expected to be sent out at 6 p.m., with nearly half of the department’s workforce reportedly facing termination.
The announcement came shortly after DOE employees were informed that their offices — including those in the National Capital Region and regional locations — would be closed for the day on Wednesday.
An internal email cited “security reasons” for the closure, stating that all employees must vacate the building by 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“All ED offices in the NCR and the regions will be closed to employees and contractor employees on Wednesday, March 12,” the email read, also instructing employees to take their laptops home. “Employees will not be permitted in any ED facility on Wednesday, March 12, for any reason. All offices will reopen on Thursday, March 13, at which time in-person presence will resume.”
Although employees with approved telework agreements may work remotely, one staff member noted that such agreements are mostly no longer in place. The DOE had called for its workforce to return to office settings late last month.
The closure and looming layoffs come as Trump reportedly considers signing an executive order to shutter the Department of Education entirely. The decision has been delayed due to concerns about the potential impact on vital programs and the resulting public backlash.
Inside the department, fear and uncertainty have gripped employees.
“People are petrified to do their jobs,” one DOE employee told ABC News. “People are worried, like, if I push back on something that somebody wants to do, and I say, ‘that’s not really what the law says or is legal,’ am I going to get a bad performance [review] and now they use that to kick me out?”
“Everyone here is holding their breath,” the employee added.
