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State Support for Military Families With Special Education Needs

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Key Message

Highly mobile children, including military children, are more likely to experience recurring educational disruptions and challenges, particularly those who need access to special education and related services. States can assist military families by ensuring timely establishment of special education services upon relocation and reducing burdens associated with due process proceedings.

Analysis

Many military children with special education needs are disadvantaged in accessing services in a timely manner due to the frequency with which their families move. Children from military families change location, on average, every two to three years. States have enacted improvements to their education statutes to build upon existing requirements provided within the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Insights

According to a 2021 study of military parents raising children with special education needs, 31% indicated that their children with disabilities went without services for more than 60 days following a military move. And 42% reported that their Individualized Education Program was not implemented once they arrived at their new duty location.

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