Lake Orion Community Schools’ Board of Education adopted a resolution calling on congress to pass a permanent and full funding act for the Individuals-with-Disabilities-Education-Act last week.
The IDEA is a law that makes a free appropriate public education available to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation. It also ensures special education and related services to those children, supports early intervention services for infants, toddlers and their families, and awards competitive discretionary grants, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
In 1975, the federal government committed to pay 40% of the average per-pupil expenditure for special education so every child with a disability has access to high quality education, according to the resolution. However, the pledge has never been met, and is currently funded at around 10.7%. The resolution says this left a gap of billions of dollars needed for students.
“We’re really looking to put this proposal forward and really make sure that legislators are aware that it’s not been fully funded,” LOCS Superintendent Heidi Mercer said.
The resolution came through the county and is supported other school districts, according to Mercer. — J.G.