Idaho Special Education eligibility criteria to be revised

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Department of Education will begin work on revising the state’s Special Education Manual following an inquiry this fall from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

In an Oct. 20 letter, OSEP directed the state to examine portions of its Special Education Manual that address what is required for students to receive special education services for specific learning disabilities. The federal letter was prompted by a citizen’s 2022 complaint that Idaho’s criteria for providing students with such services represent a higher bar than what is allowed by federal law.

Upon receiving the letter, the Idaho Department of Education convened a group of special education experts to assess Idaho’s requirements. The group ultimately decided that discrepancies do exist between state and federal requirements, and that Idaho’s criteria need revision in order to comply with federal law.

Next steps include the convening of a working group that will begin meeting later this month. Those interested in providing input for the group can submit comments to SpEdPublicInput@sde.idaho.gov. 

The group’s first meeting will be held Dec. 19 at 8:00 a.m. MST at the Idaho Department of Education’s Barbara Morgan Conference Room, 650 W. State St. in Boise.