June 6, 2019, Disability Scoop: Nation’s Schools Serving More Students Under IDEA https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/06/06/nations-schools-more-idea/26733/ New federal data shows that there are more children in special education and they are accounting for a greater percentage of public school students across the country. For the 2017-2018 school year, there were 7 million students ages 3 to 21 receiving services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These students represented 14 percent of all kids attending public schools. The figures come from an annual report released late last month by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics that offers a snapshot of what’s happening in American education. “Between 2011–12 and 2017–18, the number of students served (under IDEA) increased from 6.4 million to 7.0 million and the percentage served increased from 13 percent of total public school enrollment to 14 percent of total public school enrollment,” the report found. Of children in special education, the largest group — 34 percent — had a specific learning disability. Roughly 1 in 5 had a speech or language impairment and 14 percent were classified as having “other health impairment.” Autism accounted for 10 percent of special education students while 7 percent had developmental delay and 6 percent had intellectual disability. …
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