As part of a larger effort to reduce rules and regulations deemed unnecessary, the Trump administration has proposed a two-year delay of a new rule that would require states to take a stricter approach to identifying whether local school districts have wide racial or ethnic disparities in special education. The rule was set to go into effect for the 2018-19 school year.
For the last 14 years, districts have been required to use up to 15 percent of their federal special education dollars to remedy state-identified disparities in how minority students are identified for special education, placed in restrictive settings, or disciplined.
During the two-year delay, the USDOE will consider eliminating the rule entirely. If rescinded, it would mark a major change in a policy.
