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Committee approves allowing schools to use 'emotional disability' instead of 'emotional disturbance'

House Education Committee · March 28, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

The House Education Committee voted to pass House Bill 866, which permits school districts to use the term 'emotional disability' in place of 'emotional disturbance' in special-education materials; proponents said the change reduces stigma and does not alter services or eligibility.

Representative Melissa Romano sponsored House Bill 866, telling the committee that "words matter" and that swapping the phrase "emotional disturbance" for "emotional disability" is a small change that preserves local control and does not change eligibility or require new services. Romano said the bill includes a $100 appropriation to the Office of Public Instruction…

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