House,
Senate clear deal on special education
bill
Thursday, November 18, 2004 • Associated
Press
WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators yesterday
agreed to major changes in federal special education law,
pressing schools to ensure that children with disabilities
get the same opportunities as others.
The deal is expected to be widely supported by the House
and Senate and approved by President Bush -- allowing
Congress to squeeze a significant bipartisan education bill
into the final days of its session.
The bill aims to boost discipline in class, better
identify children who have disabilities, get help to
students earlier and reduce lawsuits by parents. It also
reaffirms the federal government's intent to pay its share
of expenses but does not lock in any yearly
commitments.
"Passage of this bipartisan agreement will cap more than
two years of work," Sen. Judd Gregg, Republican chairman of
the Senate Education Committee, said in an interview.
Getting this far has been a chore. The House passed its
bill 19 months ago, and the Senate passed its version in
May. Both sides are eager to finish during this week's
lame-duck session, knowing they would have to start over in
a new Congress.
Key areas of agreement as outlined by people close to
the negotiations include:
- Giving schools more flexibility to discipline
students with disabilities just like other students, once
it is clear that a child's bad behavior is not caused by
a disability.
- Offering some flexibility to new special education
teachers who handle multiple subjects and must prove they
are "highly qualified" to teach all of them.
- Requiring states to come up with plans for how they
will comply with the law. They can get extra help if they
don't meet the targets but could lose money if the
problems persist.
Parent and education groups are expected to take issue
with parts of the bill, from the requirements on teachers to
funding levels to data collection.
© 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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