Special education advocates in San Antonio and across Texas worry thatU.S. Department of Education layoffs will harm compliance with a 50-year-old federal law that guarantees services for children with disabilities.
The layoffs — announced Oct. 10, affecting more than 120 employees in the department’s special education division — are temporarily on hold under a federal judge’s order. But Disability Rights Texas “continues to be highly concerned,” and the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers said“these new cuts are likely to weaken federal pressure on states to comply” with laws protecting some 7.5 million children nationwide.
Federal oversight of Texas’ special education programs recently played an important role in getting more children the services they need. In 2004, the Texas Education Agency put an illegal, arbitrary 8.5% cap on special education enrollment in Texas public schools. The cap was in place for more than a decade before the federal agency intervened, according to Disability Rights Texas…