Parents of students with disabilities have long seen federal civil rights complaints as their last, best hope of ensuring schools meet their legal obligations to address their children’s needs. Changes and staff reductions at the U.S. Department of Education have eroded trust in that process, advocates said.
Their message to those parents: File the complaints anyway.
“Families feel like, ‘If it’s going to take a long time to get a resolution, what is the point?’” said Robyn Linscott, the director of education and family policy for The Arc of the United States, an organization that advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.