A 'dark day for children' as Trump signs executive order to dismantle Department of Education

People are expressing their concerns after Donald Trump signed an executive order that will see the Department of Education (DoE) dismantled.

In recent days, Trump began the process of shutting down the decades-old department and laid off almost half off the 4,133 members of staff.

It's said that there's now just over 2,000 people still working for the DoE, but their future hangs in the balance as Trump has now signed an executive order regarding the DoE's closure.

The White House said earlier on Thursday (March 20) that the department will continue to manage federal student loans, but the order appears to say the opposite.

It says the Education Department does not have the staff to oversee its 1.6 trillion dollar loan portfolio and 'must return bank functions to an entity equipped to serve America’s students'.

Trump was joined by a group of school kids as he signed the controversial order (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The decision to lay off hundreds of staffers had already drawn criticism.

National Education Association President Becky Pringle said at the time that the Trump administration had 'abandoned students, parents, and educators across the nation'.

But others have argued that the DoE has long been funnelling 'billions of taxpayer dollars into a failing system'.

Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation who is in favor of the DoE's dismantlement, said: "For decades, it has funnelled billions of taxpayer dollars into a failing system — one that prioritises leftist indoctrination over academic excellence, all while student achievement stagnates and America falls further behind."

Trump pictured with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon (Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

Elsewhere, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) president, Derrick Johnson, isn't happy with the decision.

"This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump," he said.

Opponents are said to be gearing up for legal challenges, including Democracy Forward, a public interest litigation group.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called the order a 'tyrannical power grab' and 'one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken'.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer isn't in favor of Trump's plans (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Margaret Spelling, who served as education secretary under Republican president George W Bush, questioned whether whether the department will be able to accomplish its remaining missions, and whether it will ultimately improve schools.

"Will it distract us from the ability to focus urgently on student achievement, or will people be figuring out how to run the train?" she asked.

What do you think about the Trump administration's decision to dismantle the DoE? Comment below.