In the past, parents of students with disabilities were not fully informed or were given limited options of where and how their children could be educated.  This new legislation grants parents full freedom over the education of their children, whether it is a charter school, private school, public school, or home school.  Parents will have more involvement in special education because H.R. 1350 expands options for parents by enabling them, and their local school district, to agree to change the curriculum without holding a formal hearing.  IDEA also reforms parent training centers to focus on all children with disabilities, particularly low-income families.

“This is a positive step in the right direction for special education,” said Congressman Shuster.  “We must make sure children with disabilities have access to a quality education and this bill gives them opportunities they have never had before.”

The IDEA Reauthorization passed by Congress today will give more local communities control over local resources and increase funding to $11.1 billion.  Over the past ten years, Congress has dramatically increased funding levels for special education, and at the same time, it has given more autonomy to local school districts. 

One of the main reasons teachers leave special education is the enormous paperwork burden that is placed on them by current IDEA regulations.  The changes made today will decrease the amount paperwork requirements on states and school districts with the hope of keeping qualified teachers.  The bill also contains two state pilot programs targeted at reducing paperwork.  The first program allows school districts to offer a three-year Individual Education Plan (IEP), instead of submitting a new plan each year, as is currently the case.  The second is a program that allows states to reduce IEP paperwork burden on teachers to increase instruction time in the classroom. 

H.R. 1350 passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly with 397 votes in favor and only 3 against.  The U.S. Senate is expected to approve the measure today, and the bill will then be sent to President Bush for his signature.

“This is truly a bi-partisan effort.  Members from both sides of the aisle have put aside differences to come up with a remarkable piece of legislation that will greatly improve special education in our country,” said Congressman Shuster.

Recently, educators and administrators in the Ninth District had the opportunity to speak to House Chairman John Boehner of the Education Committee at an event sponsored by Shuster.