A pair of nonprofits have announced a partnership to improve and standardize practices for military families who have a child with special needs.
The Military Child Education Coalition and Partners in Promise have teamed up on an issue paper that highlights changes expected as a result of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
“We are thrilled to be working alongside Partners in PROMISE to offer recommendations for enhanced awareness and streamlined support that we feel will have an immediate, lasting impact for all military-connected children with special needs,” said MCEC President and CEO Dr. Becky Porter.
In addition to the provisions expected in the 2021 NDAA, MCEC and Partners in PROMISE made the following recommendations for inclusion in future policy, practice and legislation:
Ensure remote school enrollment for all military families.
Allow families to maintain IEPs at a new duty station after a PCS for up to six months.
Require parental consent to all IEP changes before changes can be implemented.
Instruct State Education Agencies and the U.S. Department of Education to gather and provide data on special education disputes involving military children, utilizing the existing Military Student Identifier.
MCEC used data obtained from its 2020 Military Kids NOW Education Survey in the issue paper. The document also included responses from all 50 states, two U.S. territories, and 21 countries, to help bolster recommendations for changes to mitigate the stressors for military children with special needs.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com
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