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Before the doors were closed for business in the 108th Congress, the House and Senate were able to send a major bi-partisan bill to the President that will give students with special challenges improved opportunities for an education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) H.R. 1350 will improve results for students with disabilities by shifting the focus away from compliance with duplicative, confusing rules, and shifting it toward ensuring children with disabilities are in fact learning. H.R. 1350 will improve educational results for students with disabilities by making special education stronger for both students and parents and reforming and increasing funding for special education.
As noted by the President’s Commission Excellence in Special Education, the current IDEA system places too much emphasis on compliance with complicated rules, and not enough emphasis on academic results for children with special needs. H.R. 1350 will ensure states align their accountability systems for students with disabilities to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) accountability system. It will ensure that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) specifically address academic achievement of students with disabilities. And it will give local school districts greater flexibility in reviewing the progress of a student.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act makes many all-around improvements to provide a better education to all disabled students. H.R. 1350 will work to encourage innovative approaches to parental involvement and parental choice. It will address the needs of home-schooled children, ensure equitable participation for students in private schools and protect parents from being forced to medicate their children. Another goal of these reforms is to improve early intervention strategies and reduce over-identification/misidentification of non-disabled children, including minority youth. This legislation also helps ensure school safety by giving teachers and schools greater discretion to exercise reasonable discipline. It adds provisions to help reduce unnecessary lawsuits and litigation under IDEA. This legislation also clarifies for states what it means to be a "highly qualified" special education teacher in order for states to comply with standards set by No Child Left Behind.
Currently the federal government funds 19 percent of special education costs, although the federal share could be up to 40 percent. We have made great progress since 1994. At that time, the federal government only paid 8 percent of special education costs. We need to do even more and I am committed to ensuring the federal government meets its obligations to disabled children and their families. Over the past eight years there has been an average yearly increase of 18.6% in IDEA funding. In 1995, $2.32 billion was allocated to IDEA; in 2004, $11.2 billion will be allocated. This legislation will continue to increase funding for IDEA. As the federal share of special education costs increase, H.R. 1350 will allow local schools to redirect a share of their own, local resources to other educational purposes. This will free up state and local dollars that are now filling the gap in federal funding - allowing those dollars to be spent on all other educational needs. This is a benefit not just for disabled students but also for all students.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act is truly an all-encompassing piece of legislation that focuses on learning and the academic achievement of students with disabilities. I believe that this legislation is a great step in improving the lives and academic success rate of students who otherwise could be left behind in our school system. I will continue to work to ensure the federal government meets its obligations to disabled children and their families. |
