WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump continues his campaign to gut federal agencies, one of his favorite targets has been the U.S.  Department of Education, which he has vowed to close.

 Education Secretary Linda McMahon confirmed on Fox News Friday that Trump “clearly intends” to sign an order targeting her department.

 "He couldn't be any more clear when he says he wants me to put myself out of a job," she said.

 As talk of imminent change brews, millions of students, parents, teachers, administrators and support staff may be wondering what exactly the U.S.  Department of Education does – and doesn't – do, and how looming cuts to the agency could impact daily life on their campuses.  They may also be asking whether such cuts are even lawful.

 For starters, the department doesn’t decide what kids learn.  It has no control over school curricula.  And it’s not forcing teachers to teach anything.

 Sending education “back to the states,” which Trump has repeatedly called for, is a bit like mandating the sun go back to the sky.  It’s already there.

 The federal government does, of course, have some broad authority over what goes on in the classroom environment.  No educational program that receives federal funding – which includes K-12 schools, all public and some private; and colleges, all public and many private – can allow discrimination against students.