AFSCME Applauds the Introduction of the IDEA Full Funding Act

WASHINGTON — AFSCME President Lee Saunders issued the following statement in support of the IDEA Full Funding Act introduced by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) and Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Reps. Jared Huffman (D-California), John Katko (R-New York), David McKinley (R-West Virginia), Glenn Thompson (R-Pennsylvania) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania). This legislation would fulfill a commitment made in 1975 to provide states with 40 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure for students with disabilities:

“All students deserve access to a free, safe, nurturing and quality learning environment. Students with disabilities are no exception. AFSCME members across the country work with these students, driving their buses to get them safely to and from school, assisting them in the classroom, and helping to make sure they have equal access to a good education and a brighter future. We support the introduction of the IDEA Full Funding Act to ensure that the federal promise made to students with disabilities nearly 50 years ago is kept.”