Washington, D.C., April 4, 2025 – Hundreds of college and high school students from top D.C.-area schools rallied outside the U.S. Department of Education on Friday, chanting “Hands Off Our Schools” to oppose the Trump administration’s push to dismantle the agency. The demonstration, organized by student governments representing over 130,000 students from Georgetown, Howard, American, George Washington, George Mason, and Temple universities, drew an estimated 500 to 1,000 participants, flooding the streets around the department’s headquarters in a show of defiance against what organizers call an “assault on education.”
A Historic Stand
The “Hands Off Our Schools” rally, kicking off at 1 p.m. EDT, marked the culmination of a month of Friday protests—including “ED Matters” rallies, “study-ins,” and “clap-outs” for laid-off federal workers—since Trump’s January executive order slashed the department’s staff by half and vowed its closure. Student organizers, dubbed a “historic alliance” in a press release, demanded Congress preserve the agency, protect student rights, reject anti-diversity measures, and stop targeting academics for political views. “This is about our future,” Georgetown’s Darius Wagner told ABC News, slamming the administration for chilling free speech and threatening K-12 funding.
The crowd, waving signs like “Give Us Back Our DOE” and “Fund Our Schools,” heard from advocates like American University’s Julia Comino, who warned shuttering the department would gut aid for vulnerable students—think Title I and special education—leaving millions adrift. Posts on X captured the fervor: “HandsOffOurSchools—Trump’s killing education for billionaires’ tax breaks,” one user wrote, reflecting a sentiment echoed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s “Save Our Schools” campaign, launched this week to fight the cuts with lawsuits and oversight.
A Policy Under Fire
Trump’s move, tied to his Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk, aims to shift education oversight to states, axing federal roles like the Office of Federal Student Aid and its $1.6 trillion loan portfolio. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, crashing a Democratic presser Wednesday, defended it as “returning power to parents and teachers,” per Fox News. But students and critics, including Warren, see a darker motive. “Taking this away from our kids so billionaires get richer is just plain ugly,” Warren told ABC News, vowing to “fight it with everything I’ve got.”
The rally’s timing—amid a tariff-driven market crash (S&P down 4.8% Thursday)—underscored broader unrest. Organizers tied the education cuts to Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, warning of soaring class sizes and slashed job training if the department folds. “They’re gutting the backbone of democracy,” a Temple student told The Pulse of NH, as chants of “Fight, fight, fight, education is a right!” rang out.
A Growing Movement
Friday’s protest wasn’t alone—Colorado teachers rallied March 20 against state-level cuts, per CPR News, and the NEA’s February “Rally to Protect Students” decried privatization. In D.C., the crowd swelled beyond initial permits, forcing organizers to expand space, per ABC News. McMahon’s pledge to fund mandated programs offered little comfort; students like Comino argued the damage—lost mental health resources, career prep, and 504 plans for kids like Lisa Knight’s neurodivergent sons—is already real.
As Trump’s tariffs roil the economy and deportation errors grab headlines, the “Hands Off Our Schools” rally signals a student-led reckoning. With Congress split—House Speaker Mike Johnson backs Trump, but Sens. Warren and Schumer push back—the fight’s far from over. For now, D.C.’s streets echo with a clear message: education’s worth defending, and these students won’t go quietly.
