ELC Provides Testimony about Special Educator Shortage to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Public testimony will be accepted through December 16

Education Law Center Litigation Director Jessica Levin was tapped to provide testimony to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during its November 15 briefing on the Federal Response to Teacher Shortage Impacts on Students with Disabilities.

Ms. Levin’s testimony to the Commission, an independent, bipartisan agency, detailed the legal rights of students with disabilities, including their right to sufficient numbers of qualified teachers, and the need for adequate funding and resources to fulfill those rights. The testimony also described the state and federal funding shortfalls that currently impede the provision of adequate services and supports for students with disabilities across the country.

Additionally and importantly, Ms. Levin debunked the notion that students with disabilities would be well served by private school voucher programs:

Vouchers rob students with disabilities of their legal rights and fund private schools that often actively discriminate against them. Vouchers do not provide sufficient funds for a private education that would meet students’ needs, and they divert desperately needed resources away from the public schools that serve most students with disabilities and are the only schools in which their rights are legally guaranteed.

Ms. Levin and other panelists also answered live questions from Commission members about topics including the importance of federal laws that protect the rights of students with disabilities and the danger of proposals to eliminate the federal Department of Education. Ms. Levin noted:

It’s in federal law that the core of special education rights are found, and the Department of Education and the experts within it play a crucial role in enforcing those civil rights for students with disabilities across the country. This is an incredibly dangerous proposal both on a practical and symbolic level.

A recording of the full day of testimony by educators, advocates, parents, scholars, and others is available here. Panelists’ written testimony is here.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is accepting written comments from the public about the special education teacher shortage through December 16, 2024. ELC encourages advocates to make their voices heard on this important issue by submitting comments, which can be emailed to teachershortage@usccr.gov. 

Press Contact:
Sharon Krengel
Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications
skrengel@edlawcenter.org
973-624-1815, x240