BANGOR, Maine — Educators across Maine said federal staffing cuts are putting special education services — and the students who rely on them — at risk.

About one in five students in Maine’s public schools received special education services —one of the highest rates in the country, according to the National Center for Education Statistics . School leaders said that made the state especially vulnerable to the impact of federal workforce reductions.

The U.S. Department of Education recently cut positions in offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement. Local administrators said those changes made it harder for districts to get the guidance, training, and oversight they depend on to serve students with disabilities.

Bangor Superintendent Dr. Marie Robinson said the

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