EASTHAMPTON — As part of a coalition of educators, school districts and unions, the Easthampton School Committee won a preliminary injunction Thursday against the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education.

The School Committee joined the complaint, filed by Democracy Forward, a Washington legal organization, in late March, in reaction to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s reduction-in-force order. The injunction, which orders the administration to reinstate the almost 1,400 workers it has laid off, will halt the administration’s efforts to disassemble the department.

“A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all,” wrote Judge Myong Joun of the U.S. District Court in Boston. “This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department’s employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself.”

Other parties to the complaint alongside Easthampton include the Somerville Public School Committee, the American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 93, the American Association of University Professors, and the Service Employees International Union. Democracy Forward is representing Easthampton free of charge in this legal action.

Prior to Jan. 20, the Department of Education employed 4,133 people. If the administration’s downsizing efforts had proceeded, 2,183 would remain. A presidential executive order and other statements by the administration also voiced an intent to close the department and move several divisions — such as the Office for Special Education Programs and Federal Student Aid — to other federal agencies.

“I’m really happy that this was such a clear-cut ruling,” said Sam Hunter, a member of the Easthampton School Committee.

According to Hunter, the decision to join the legal action months ago was not an easy one — the committee knew that this action was “something that should be done,” but questioned whether they were the right ones to do it. But, Hunter said, the committee had to do something hard to preserve a department that was “worth fighting for,” as well as the congressional authority to determine which departments exist.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Hunter said.

“All of us should be concerned about the separation of powers. … The only reason our laws work is because we believe in them.”

The complaint argued that staffing cuts to the department — including the entire staff of the Office of English Language Acquisition, more than half of the enforcement positions for the Office of Civil Rights, attorneys providing guidance to the department and more — have left it incapable of carrying out its legally required duties.

President Donald Trump has argued repeatedly for educational control to be returned to the states, and has historically criticized the department as being inefficient.

In a statement, Madi Biedermann, the department’s deputy assistant secretary for communications, wrote: “Once again, a far-left Judge has dramatically overstepped his authority, based on a complaint from biased plaintiffs, and issued an injunction against the obviously lawful efforts to make the Department of Education more efficient and functional for the American people.”

The department does not set Easthampton’s or any other district’s curriculum.

Rather, it provides funding for programs in Easthampton Public Schools, and public school systems across the country.

Easthampton’s interim superintendent, Maureen Binienda, previously told the Gazette that Easthampton Public Schools received roughly $887,000 this fiscal year from the Department of Education. Of that funding, $554,000 goes toward supporting students with disabilities through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Hunter told the Gazette that the Trump administration has already stated its intent to appeal the decision, which was expected by the legal team.

While the coalition will have to look out for the administration’s response, Hunter said the committee still sees this result as a success, which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Easthampton community.

“What it’s communicating is that the rule of law still matters and the constitution still matters,” Hunter said.

Even if the injunction only results in slowing the administration down, the committee believes it’s still an important step. Hunter noted that public education still faces “existential threats” every day, but the results of this legal action serve as a “reminder” that people can stand up for themselves when there’s a problem.

“Defending public education was what we were elected to do,” Hunter said. “We saw an opportunity to do that, and that’s what we did.”

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.