Congress is expected to complete the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when it reconvenes Nov. 15 for a lame-duck session.  The AFT is asking our members to contact their representatives in Congress immediately on three major areas of concern surrounding reauthorization. The AFT is asking that the reauthorized bill:

Help ensure that teachers and other service providers are involved in the IEP process. Language in both the Senate and House bills redefines who can refer a child for evaluation.  If enacted, this would give teachers and professional school staff only a nominal voice in the decision-making process.  In addition, provisions in both bills give parents the right to refuse services for their children and that permit school authorities and parents to make IEP decisions without the active participation of the child's teachers and service providers.  The former will undermine learning conditions in the classroom and the latter will virtually guarantee that decisions for many students with disabilities will be based on administrative convenience rather than the child's needs.  The child's teachers and service providers are the first to know when a child should be considered for evaluation. In addition, teachers and service providers provide invaluable input when students are not provided their IEP mandated services. Absence of this input may dilute the quality of education of children and youth with disabilities.

Support the House discipline provisions. The House bill greatly simplifies the procedures for disciplining disabled students while protecting their right to receive a free and appropriate education, and it gives school officials the authority to remove students who are dangerous or persistently disruptive.

Clarify the definition of "highly qualified" for special ed teachers. Addressing the requirements that special education teachers must meet to be highly qualified under NCLB is a critical issue. Under the current interpretation of NCLB, a special education teacher must meet separate special subject-matter requirements for each core academic subject she teaches. This is simply unworkable, and the unrealistic burden these requirements place on special education teachers is likely to exacerbate the already serious shortage of teachers in this field.  The Senate IDEA bill does include some changes in the definition of highly qualified special education teachers, but it unfortunately does not adequately address the scope of the problem.  Language must be crafted to remedy the problem.

AFT members are asked to share their concerns with Congress by sending a special IDEA Conference letter posted in the AFT's Contact Congress area of the Web site.