DeVos Hurts Special Needs Families
DeVos Hurts Special Needs Families
The Worst Education Secretary possible
Education Secretary Betsy Devos eliminated 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities.
The documents fleshed out students’ rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
What they did was they didn’t rescind the regulations. However, the they placed policy documents into place to guide how schools could use federal special education money.
The documents were useful to help parents and schools understand the way the laws are meant to work.
63 guidance documents were from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and 9 were from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA).
Why?
Every administration makes changes.
But, never have so many police guidance documents been erased at one time.
Horrible
Why rescind guidance documents outlining how schools and parents can use federal special education funds?
Do they have to make it harder for schools and parents to interpret legal regulations?
Why make it clear, yet again, that children with disabilities are a very low priority for this administration?
The plan is awful for our kids.
What are some of the late guidance policy documents?
These documents helped to clarify how schools could spend federal money set aside for special education.
The documents translated legal jargon into plain English for parents to advocate for their children.
They gave directives on tech-oriented vocational programs.
They outlined independent living services.
In addition, they outlined free educational services for students with disabilities.
Why remove helpful documents?
Why make it harder for families with special needs?
A statement from the administration said they were “outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective.”
Where are the documents to replace them?
The clearer, more concise documents meant to continue to help families.
Similarly, the monies would go to the right place, the kids in need.
Why not have those ready to go and simply update verbiage or confusing parts of each policy?
Why rescind/eliminate/erase without putting something back out there that would be helpful?
This administration continues to eliminate regulations that it deem superfluous.
Eliminate, but not replace.
Erase, and it’s gone. Out of sight, out of mind.
Special needs families
Apparently, families with special needs student, and schools don’t need guidance. They can simply figure things out for themselves.
But, why?
Above all, it makes no sense to eliminate useful guiding documents. Without them, it may be harder for schools and parents to enforce the regulations.
Yeah, let’s make it even harder for families with disabled or special needs students.
Because they don’t have enough to worry about.
In conclusion, I say shame on this administration for making special needs an afterthought, a lower than priority.
I don’t wish any family to suffer unnecessarily.
But, come on.
Why?
Here is an article on the rescinding of the policy documents:
http://www.startribune.com/72-federal-education-disabilities-regulations-erased/452158073/
DeVos Hurts Special Needs Families
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