The education rights of kids with disabilities are under attack in the US Senate.
We need your help to protect students with disabilities and their rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other federal education laws during the COVID-19 outbreak!
Congress is considering how to respond to COVID-19 and has already passed some measures to help families and workers. Now, it’s time to turn to education and ensure students can still learn while schools are closed.
(Via the National Center for Learning Disabilites.)
Senator Mitch McConnell has proposed a bill — the CARES Act — that will allow the Department of Education:
- To waive requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
- To waive requirements under the Higher Education Act (HEA);
- To waive requirements under the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (CTE); and
- Directing the Secretary of Education to report back to Congress within 30 days on the waivers that are needed under IDEA.
This bill would effectively free them of their obligations to continue educating our nation’s most vulnerable students.
We cannot give up on students with disabilities and they cannot be left behind. In this unprecedented time, we know that schools are finding innovative ways to deliver instruction to all students and connect with families. While all schools may not be able to provide the same quality of instruction and intervention virtually, we must encourage and enable them to keep striving. We must not eliminate a school’s legal obligations and toss students with disabilities to the side!
(See also Our children’s IDEA rights are at risk!)
Congress is moving quickly and will be acting on this proposal in the next few days. Help us defeat the proposal by telling your Senators to oppose the CARES Act in response to COVID-19!
You can act today to protect the education rights of kids with disabilities.
(Want more information about the CARES Act? Read the NCLD post here)
