Report Reveals Michigan’s Special Education System Fails to Meet Students and Family’s Needs

Almost a year ago, Valerie Williams, the Director of the U.S. Office of Special Education, sent a letter to Michael Rice, the Superintendent of the Michigan Department of Education. The purpose of Williams’ letter was to get an update about the status of the U.S. Department of Education’s findings and corrections ordered following her office’s procedural checkup of Michigan’s special education programming. The federal department found that the state was underserving its special education in several ways, including a lack of financial oversights, not providing proper inclusive learning environments for some children with disabilities, and mediation policies and procedures that were inconsistent with state and federal guidelines. “We appreciate your efforts to ensure compliance and improve results for children with disabilities,” Williams wrote in her letter. This letter came eight years after a statewide taskforce recommended reforms across the board for students in the state with disabilities. Within the past week, the Autism Alliance of Michigan announced the release of their& Special Education Experience (SEE) Survey Report, which shows the disparities and barriers students with disabilities and their parents experience while navigating Michigan’s education system. “Michigan’s public education system is meant to provide a pathway for all students, including those...