Special education programs cut

Want to share a great resource? Let us know at submissions eschoolmedia. Username or Email Address. Remember Me. Login Twitter Facebook LinkedIn. It is challenging, but not impossible, to reduce special-ed spending while increasing student achievement, a new primer says. Many students with autism, developmental disabilities, or those with mental or behavioral disabilities are shut out of these options.

Private schools also often require parents to waive their educational and due process rights under IDEA when they make this choice and many parents are not even made aware of their rights before making these important decisions. Finally, the Autism Society is most concerned with proposals in the Budget to cut and cap the Medicaid program. Medicaid supports schools by funding many of the health and related services that allow students with autism to be successful in schools, such as behavioral health, occupational, speech and language therapies.

Medicaid is the only federal program that provides long-term services and supports in the community. This would be devastating to the lives of families impacted by autism. Additionally, students would often need the signature of a principal or district official to override the auto-populated sections of the IEP form, making accurate data entry more burdensome than necessary.

CPS contends the recent special education overhaul was not only to address the growing costs of special education with an ever-shrinking budget, but also to address consistently low test scores among students with disabilities.

Open teaching and aide positions were subsequently posted last minute, leading to a rush to find quality teachers. Karp launched the WBEZ investigation into CPS based on the numerous complaints she heard from parents and advocates about student services being cut. The cost of education for a child with disabilities can be double the amount needed for a child without disabilities.

Many students with special needs require multiple services such as classroom aides, counseling, specialized equipment, or access to health professionals during the day. Special education programs are often underfunded, leading to poor outcomes for students and repercussions for schools and communities. Unfortunately, many school districts today are seeing budget cuts, and these cuts exacerbate the challenges faced by special education programs and the students they serve.