The Arc of King County's amicus brief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Children’s Advocates Urge Supreme Court too Protect the Education Rights of Children with Disabilities
OLYMPIA, WA (September 1, 2017) – The Legislature still is not paying the true costs of educating 130,000 students with disabilities in Washington, The Arc of King County and other advocacy groups said in a “friend of the court” brief filed today in the landmark case of McCleary v State of Washington.
Advocates joining in the brief include The Arc of Washington State, Teamchild, Seattle Special Education PTA, Bellevue Special Needs PTA, Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy, and Open Doors for Multicultural Families. Three individuals also signed on, including state Rep. Gerry Pollet of North Seattle.
“By excluding children with disabilities from reforms, the state is denying a particularly vulnerable group of children the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills needed for college, employment and citizenship,” the advocacy coalition’s brief says, adding, “This continued underfunding of special education, a component of basic education, is unconstitutional.”
