Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee votes ITL on study to centralize special‑education services after broad opposition
Summary
Lawmakers moved HB 12 21 Inexpedient to Legislate after disability advocates, parents and educators warned that centralizing special‑education services would risk violating IDEA's least‑restrictive‑environment requirement and could harm student inclusion.
Representative Katie Peternell introduced HB 12 21, which would have directed a commission to study the cost of special education and consider establishing centralized locations for certain related services. The proposal drew strong, repeated opposition from disability‑rights advocates, parents and school‑community members.
Karen Rosenberg of the Disability Rights Center testified that the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that services be delivered in the least‑restrictive environment and cautioned this study could be a step toward more segregated placements. "The idea that this commission would study making this practice, like an exclusionary setting, more prevalent as a cost saving measure flies in the face of what is required under federal law," Rosenberg said.
Multiple parents and students gave emotional testimony about inclusion and the everyday benefits of integrated classrooms. Tyler Mortimer, a 15‑year‑old student who uses extensive supports in his home district, spoke about friends, unified sports and the formative value of being educated alongside peers.
In executive session the committee voted to recommend ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate) on HB 12 21. The recorded vote in committee was 15 yeas and 0 nays.
