A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from laying off thousands of government employees, including nearly all of the workers in the Department of Education’s special education division — a move advocates have warned would have disastrous consequences for millions of students across the country, including 827,000 in California.

Before the ruling was issued, the layoffs had wiped out the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, including its Office of Special Education Programs, which ensures children with disabilities receive a free, quality education under federal law and oversees around $16 billion in special education funding. Nearly 500 education department employees were let go, including more than 100 staffers who worked in the special educa

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