Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is officially seeking to delay by two years an Obama-era rule aimed at combating disproportionate numbers of minority students in special education classes. That's according to a Federal Register notice expected to publish on Feb. 27.
In an article by Caitlin Emma of Politico, she reports that the Obama rule sought to ensure that states were using a uniform approach to ensuring that minority students with disabilities aren't over-represented in special education and that students with disabilities aren't disciplined more often because of their disabilities. States were supposed to comply with the rule by July. They had until 2020 to include the youngest children in their assessments, ages 3 to 5.
DeVos is now proposing a delay of the rule until 2020, and the provision about young children until 2022. The Trump administration estimates that the delay could save between $10.9 million and $11.5 million.
The agency will be accepting public comment on its delay proposal for 75 days after the notice publishes.