In FY23, there were roughly 209,000 public school students—more than 1 in 5 students in New York City—who have disabilities and a corresponding Individualized Education Program (IEP) to address their needs. Under federal and state law, the City of New York is legally mandated to provide special education services to all children with disabilities, including speech and occupational therapy, specialized individual instruction, and more.
Unfortunately, not all kids are equally having their needs met. As our new report shows (see chart below), IEP-related service recommendations for K-12 students in districts with higher economic needs are more likely to be partially provided or not at all.
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