Feb 4, 2025, KOCO: Oklahoma lawmaker files bill that could cut special education services for some students
Several parents reached out to KOCO 5 expressing their concerns about Senate Bill 1017, with one mother saying the bill would be detrimental to her children.
An Oklahoma state lawmaker has filed a bill that would strip Medicaid coverage for essential school-based services and could cut special education services for some students.
In Senate Bill 1017, which was authored by state Sen. Dusty Deevers, individual education programs would not include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language
therapy, behavioral therapy and psychological therapy because they are considered medical.
"Only medically necessary related services that are educationally necessary for the child to access classroom instruction to make sure the child receives a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) may be written into the IEP," State Bill 1017 states.
The proposed bill defines "school-based services" as specially designed instruction and services that are educationally necessary for the eligible student to receive a free and appropriate education, and it excludes medically necessary services that are not within the definition of "educationally necessary" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Non-educational health-related and rehabilitative services include but aren't limited to the following:
"These services are not the responsibility of the Oklahoma K-12 public schools and shall be the responsibility of the parents or guardians to provide for their children off campus and after school hours," Senate Bill 1017 states.
Several parents reached out to KOCO 5 expressing their concerns about Senate Bill 1017, with one mother saying the bill would be detrimental to her children. Another called the measure "discriminatory towards special needs students."
Over the weekend, Deevers took to social media to respond to concerns about his bill. He said, "no student's educationally necessary IEP services will be cut" and that "every educationally necessary service will continue to be covered as is required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, ie. speech and language therapy, occupational and physical therapy, and other special ed programs."
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