GAO Makes Recommendations to Ensure Native Students with Disabilities Receive Special Education Services

In a new report about the state of special education at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the schools “did not provide or did not account for 38 percent of special education and related service time for students with disabilities.”

The report was conducted by the GAO due to concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Education about the BIE's implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including its long-standing noncompliance with IDEA requirements.

In addition to this and other key findings, the GAO included specific recommendations for the BIE to consider in order to improve the education of more than 6,000 Native American students with disabilities attending 185 elementary and secondary schools overseen by the BIE. Recommendations include that BIE establish special education training requirements for staff responsible for supporting and overseeing schools’ special education programs and updating the BIE’s workforce plan to include a strategy and timeframe for filling vacant staff positions overseeing supporting schools’ special education programs.

To view the report, go here.