Fifty years ago this month, President Gerald Ford signed a law that fundamentally changed American education: the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
This landmark legislation wasn’t just a new federal program; it was a declaration of civil rights. It stated, clearly and unequivocally, that every child, regardless of disability, has the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive setting possible. As we celebrate this golden anniversary, we must recognize IDEA’s incredible legacy and defend its future.
Before 1975, more than a million children with disabilities were excluded from public schools, often relegated to specialized private schools sponsored by charities and psychiatric hospitals, or left without an education altogether. IDEA changed that, paving the way for inclusion and individualized education plans (IEPs) that addressed the individual needs of students classified under IDEA. It also gave parents and guardians specific rights, called procedural safeguards, such as a school obtaining their consent before providing services to their child.
On a regional and statewide level, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), including Questar III BOCES in Columbia, Greene and Rensselaer counties, played a crucial, pioneering role in the public education ecosystem, supporting students with disabilities through shared programs and services decades before IDEA was established.
Today, IDEA governs the education of nearly 8 million students nationwide, or approximately 15 percent of all public school students. According to the law, public schools must identify and assess all students to ascertain if they require services under IDEA. Children who are experiencing homelessness or attending private schools must also be afforded these services if required.
Inclusion in a least restrictive environment is now the baseline, with nearly two-thirds of students with disabilities spending most of their day in general education settings alongside their non-disabled peers. This is the demonstrable success of a law that transformed the educational landscape from one of exclusion to one of equity and opportunity.
The success of IDEA has occurred regardless of Congress having failed to meet its original funding promise. When IDEA passed, the federal government pledged to cover 40 percent of the added cost of this mandate; today, it covers about 15 percent. This shortfall places a financial burden on local school districts as they continue to see a spike in students requiring special education programs and services at a younger age.
Despite IDEA’s success, the very law and system that created it face an existential crisis. As we mark 50 years of progress, the current administration has made clear its desire to dismantle the federal infrastructure that enforces IDEA. Efforts to shut down the U.S. Department of Education and move Special Education to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could fundamentally and irreparably weaken the law’s oversight.
The IDEA funding gap, coupled with threats to oversight capabilities, creates a perfect storm for our nation’s most vulnerable students. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is not merely a bureaucratic mandate; it is a civil rights statute that upholds the dignity and potential of millions of American children. We cannot afford to abandon the law that has delivered inclusion and opportunities to students with disabilities. Instead, we must strengthen it and look for new models to address the needs of our students with disabilities.
On this 50th anniversary, we must do more than celebrate the purpose of IDEA. We must reaffirm our nation’s commitment to fully supporting and funding IDEA. The promise made in 1975 must be a guarantee kept for the next 50 years and beyond.
This column appeared in the Register Star and The Daily Mail newspapers