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Last month, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The bill—H.R. 1350, or the Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act of 2003—was sponsored by Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE) and would reauthorize, restructure, and extend programs under IDEA. ASHA is currently analyzing the bill and plans to submit comments to Congress.
According to a press release, the bill includes calls for stronger accountability and results for students, paperwork reduction, greater flexibility for school districts to improve early intervention, improved conflict resolution, and a reduction of the number of children wrongly placed in special education. The bill also proposes "discretionary" full IDEA funding by 2010.
A Step Backward
Unfortunately, H.R. 1350 takes a step backward in requiring states to maintain standards for related services personnel. The bill removes parts of the current statute describing how states must maintain the "highest requirements" for personnel standards for related services personnel. Without changes, H.R. 1350 will fail to provide the accountability for states to ensure that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education.
Rep. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is introducing a related school choice bill and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) has introduced H.R. 438, which would address the growing shortage of special education teachers.
If you have comments on H.R. 1350, contact Neil Snyder through the Action Center at 800-498-2071, ext. 4257, or by e-mail at nsnyder@asha.org. Visit ASHA’s Web site for more information on H.R. 1350, or visit http://thomas.loc.gov to track bills online.
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