The Tennessee General Assembly has announced that they will convene a "joint working group" to study the state's possible refusal of $1.89 billion in federal education funding and to develop a proposal to reject those funds moving forward. Federal education funding currently pays for much of the extra costs associated with educating kids living in poverty, kids learning English, and, importantly, kids with disabilities. 

To refuse this funding would mean that all the programs (like Autism programs), services (like OT/PT, assistive tech devices, paraprofessional support, etc.) and rights (like due process and collaborative IEP meetings) that make up Special Education as we know it could be on the chopping block. This would have a devastating impact on the education of Tennessee children with disabilities. 

Legislators MUST hear from families about the importance of special education and the need for the state to maintain it in its current form. Please take a moment to send them a message expressing these concerns and requesting that they listen to our families - we know intimately just how important special education and the funds that facilitate it are.