Disability Scoop

With major changes happening in Washington, families are increasingly turning to states to help resolve special education disputes. Data collected from 33 states shows that written complaints related to special education are up nearly 48%. The Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education asked all states to voluntarily provide data on the number of complaints they received, as well as mediation and due process hearing requests, for each of the last three years. So far, 33 have obliged. The states reported receiving 12,398 complaints during the 2025-2026 school year. That’s up significantly compared to the previous two years when there were fewer than 8,400 complaints lodged annually. The jump comes as the U.S. Department of Education and its Office for Civil Rights, which fields complaints of disability discrimination in schools, have been in upheaval. Last year, the Education Department laid off hundreds of civil rights staffers and closed seven of 12 regional offices…

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