AP News

When Michigan officials this year lauded a record-high 82.8% high school graduation rate in 2024, special education advocates pointed out a vastly different outcome: only 61% of students with disabilities graduated. That is one of several metrics showing what students with disabilities are up against in Michigan: They score below their peers in Michigan and across the nation in several areas, according to the first-ever Michigan Special Education Benchmarks Report released Wednesday by the Autism Alliance of Michigan. The group found 77% of disabled students are secluded or restrained, 40% miss more than 18 or more days of school per year, and 60% of their parents report their schools do not “facilitate meaningful involvement.” The report is a call for more funding and inclusion in Michigan, noting that state and federal money covers 44% of special education costs, forcing local districts to cover the remainder. “Students with disabilities can be educated, can be contributors to society,” said Heather Eckner, director of statewide education with the Autism Alliance of Michigan. “But if our public school system, where the majority of them are educated, is not fulfilling their obligation to prepare them for future education and prepare them for independent living, then we are not doing our jobs to get them to be ready to be citizens in our state.”