It was Always a Good IDEA: Protecting Special Education

By Lavelle Carlson for DCDP

Are you a parent searching for help for a child with developmental delays? Are you a teacher searching for information on what is coming down the pipe with the changing political scene on Project 2025 on your students with developmental delays?  One of the most concerning are the changes within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed November 29, 1975. The purpose was to guarantee that children with disabilities have access to a public education tailored to the specific needs.

Looking at history and those who have often made significant contributions to humanity were some who had to struggle with disabilities and then gave so much: Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Louis Pasteur, Stephen Hawking, and more. IDEA would ensure that as a society we would improve with the help of persons who were initially deemed unable to contribute but to those who unexpectedly make contributions so important that it can change human history for the better. History has shown how society has often improved due to the work of those deemed “incapable” to contribute. But, it also comes down to a personal level as well. What about your niece or nephew with dyslexia that can create phenomenal paintings? What about your neighbor who is non-verbal but can put together a 200 piece 3-D puzzle that most adults cannot do? What about those children who struggle to read but as adults have the ability to build businesses or those who invent great items important to society. These are our children who will create some of the greatest art, mechanical inventions, and more for our society if given the support to learn. Project 2025 looks to shift all or most IDEA funding into a separate block grant program that could also set into motion other changes that reshape special education policy at the state and local levels. One possibility coming out is that schools could opt out of IDEA, therefore denying your child or any child access to free and appropriate education.

This is where Aria Dean comes into the picture, helping to ensure that the American educational system continues to serve our students in special education — and improves. Her background shows us why choosing the right people to send to Congress matters. Aria is a former special education teacher and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She serves as Advocacy Chair for both the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Council of PTAs and her home campus PTA at Rosemeade Elementary. All of Aria’s advocacy work is nonpartisan, including her roles with PTA and the Council for Exceptional Children. She has held many other advocacy roles, but most relevant here is her dedication to advocating for children and education. By learning from her expertise, we can better understand what is at stake for special education if the Department of Education is dismantled or funding for IDEA is not allocated in a way that supports all children and students. 

Most important of all is that Aria’s team plans to meet with lawmakers ahead of the 90th Texas Legislative Session to make the case for public education funding. She also serves as the Texas State Team Leader for the Council for Exceptional Children’s Special Education Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C. — a role I held last year and will hold again this July, bringing advocates directly to Capitol Hill on behalf of students with disabilities. 

Thanks to Aria (in her words below), she provided the following information that explains so well what is at stake as IDEA is changed and/or dismantled.

What has the government done that has created issues for students with disabilities?

The FY2027 federal budget proposal increases core IDEA grants to states, which sounds positive. But it also eliminates the IDEA Preschool Program, which funds services for children with disabilities ages three to five — one of the most critical windows for intervention. It eliminates Part D National Activities, which funds the training of special education personnel, technical assistance, and parent support. Those are not bureaucratic line items. That is the infrastructure that prepares the people who serve students with disabilities and supports the families navigating the system. You can increase a headline number while quietly dismantling the supports that make the money work.

Beyond IDEA specifically, the proposal replaces $6.5 billion in broader education programs — including literacy, family engagement, and afterschool — with a $2 billion block grant. Students with disabilities don't exist in a silo. They depend on those wraparound supports, too. The net effect is a significant reduction in the resources and infrastructure that make inclusive, effective education possible.

What have politicians done to reduce or dismantle IDEA, and what is their rationale?

The stated rationale is consolidation, efficiency, and returning control to states. Block grants are framed as flexibility — let states decide what works locally. But federal oversight of special education exists for a reason. IDEA was born from a long history of states failing to educate children with disabilities or excluding them from public schools altogether. The students named in the original legislation weren't hypothetical. They were real children who had been turned away from their neighborhood schools, denied an education entirely, because no law required anyone to serve them. Federal oversight exists because we learned, the hard way, that without it, the most vulnerable students get left behind. Flexibility without accountability is not neutrality — it is a transfer of risk onto the families who can least afford it.

What can Congress do to remedy the situation?

Fully fund IDEA. Congress made a commitment when it passed that legislation, and it has never actually kept it — the federal government has never met its own stated goal of covering 40 percent of the cost of special education. If legislators want to shift more responsibility to states, that conversation can be had. But it cannot happen without a clear bridge and meaningful federal oversight during any transition. Pulling back without a structured handoff doesn't give states flexibility — it leaves students with disabilities without a safety net while the policy details get sorted out. Those are real children waiting on that process, and they do not have time to spare.

What can community members do?

Contact your representatives. Call your senators and your members of Congress and tell them you want IDEA fully funded. You do not need a policy background or special expertise — you need a phone call, an email, or a willingness to show up. If you are not sure who represents you or how to reach them, a quick search of your zip code will get you there in two minutes.”

Thanks for providing the above information on the proposed changes on IDEA by our government, Aria. Sadly, most parents and concerned persons do not realize how the changes to IDEA will affect our children, our neighbors’ children, and our society in lack of compassion and, also, in teaching those students who will contribute to society. Elected officials respond to constituent pressure, and the problem right now is that most parents have no idea this is even happening. An informed, vocal community is the most powerful tool we have. The first step is making sure people know what is at stake.” 

Are you a parent whose child will be affected from less or no services? Are you a teacher whose students will be affected from less or no services? Are you a speech/language pathologist whose clientele will be affected from less or no services? Then, please contact your state and national representatives to let them know that it is their job to ensure that our children receive the educational services they need and that our society benefits by ensuring that we as a nation educate and care for all persons.