Intent to Include, LLC

10/17/2025

An example of why “leaving sped to the states” alone is a terrible plan…

States CAN allot funds to incentivize but, once more, it is an active choice that they have to make.
They have to prioritize.
They have to acknowledge a need.
They have to understand the demand, the need, the importance & the impact.

According to this article, only 18/50 do so.
Surely states can use this as an opportunity step up and start to do what is needed to ensure alllll students with IEPs are actually receiving FAPE, LRE, a complaint, data driven& sound IEP, etc.

🤞🏻🤞🏻

Read more about National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ)'s findings and recommendations for incentivizing teachers: https://www.k12dive.com/news/teacher-shortages-special-education-english-learner-solutions-nctq/761409/

10/17/2025

“Millions are poured into autism research, but only about 6 percent of research subjects have intellectual disability, a common feature of severe autism, according to one analysis. Such subjects are too often dismissed, seen as too difficult to test and more likely to have behavioral problems.

In the absence of data, we make assumptions about nonverbal people, equating a lack of speech with nonthinking and nonunderstanding.”

From the article: “Recognizing profound autism as a distinct diagnosis is not about taking away from those who can advocate for themselves, it’s about making sure that the most stigmatized version of this diagnosis isn’t erased in favor of a more palatable version. I believe my child deserves to be accepted for who she is and seen as inherently valuable, and I also believe scientists should try to learn why she stopped talking before her second birthday, and what treatments would make her life better.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/opinion/autism-diagnosis-category-stigma.html?unlocked_article_code=1.t08.UsIh.MyKe-LpS2Dgg&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

10/16/2025

Some good news

A federal judge temporarily halted a U.S. Department of Education plan to gut its special education office, but advocates say that the future of services for students with disabilities remains uncertain.

10/15/2025

Until every district in every state

✨is fully staffed with certified and QUALIFIED sped teachers (not ones who are doing an alt-cert and have yet to take and pass all of the required exams; not ones who were bribed or coerced into teaching sped; not ones who have been reassigned from another dept because they were ineffectice there)

✨requires ALL teachers to have a background in sped and with MULTIPLE evidences of extensive training about best practices, edu theory, legal protections, historical trends, etc.,

✨provides a LOGICAL caselod cap thats not based on number, but on need that allows for quality instruction

✨can adequately fund sped programs, support & training that districts need to do more than check a few boxes

✨can stop getting themselves sued because they find new ways to fail kids with IEPs

…don’t come at me with “gutting OSEP is ok bc it pushes things back to the state”.

I hear you.
I get it.
And in many other areas, I feel the Dept of Ed has overstepped, underperformed and has to go, but NOT when it comes to the protections of students with IEPs. This population needs every ally possible because states alone cannot handle sped.

10/15/2025

Church, there are families in your community that are, again, feeling marginalized and forgotten.
Pushed aside.
I promise they exist.
You may not see them and you may not know exact specifics, but they are there.
Many have fought for where their kid is. They’ve advocated.
They’ve challenged in the name of belonging and inclusion.
And they’re likely hurting because yet again, they’re being pushed aside so that the “states can take it from here”. (10/10 do not recommend, as there is no evidence that the state agencies bear any semblance of competence when it comes to doing what’s right by students with IEPs.)

In my pub ed career, the running phrase was ALWAYS “sped is the red headed stepchild”; seldom included with meaning in anything related to vision seating, accountability, etc.
Sped teachers know it.
Sped families feel it.
Always the afterthought.
But also always the photo op because it makes people feel good to “help the little sped kids”.

This is an opportunity to love on people, church. To let them know that when their supports are falling away and uncertainty is near, Jesus withstands.

You don’t have to have the perfect words to say. You don’t have to have the perfect plan in place. You don’t even have to have the answer to the question, “What do you do when a family was special needs shows up on Sunday morning?”… you just have to let them know that there is a place where they are loved for who God made them to be.

10/14/2025

The historical problems with “leaving it to the states”

10/14/2025

ACTION ALERT: The Department of Education has nearly wiped out OSEP and RSA—offices essential to ensuring students with disabilities receive the services they’re guaranteed under IDEA. Congress must act NOW. Tell lawmakers: Restore OSEP. Protect IDEA.

https://exceptionalchildren.org/lac?vvsrc=/Campaigns/130718/Respond

10/14/2025

If the states cared about sped & did right by students and families with IEPs from the beginning, would we have needed the feds to get involved and flex their muscle (re: IDEA) to begin with?
Time and time again, states fail to truly understand and meet the needs of students with IEPs.
-Low/no funding
-Horrendous “training & accountability”
-No cap on caseloads (ask your local sped teacher how many kids are in their caseload…)
-Admin oversight
-reduced standards and expectations of sped teachers
-disproportionately low salary for the job demand

Again, it doesn’t matter where you stand politically to know that it is NOT ok to dismiss the needs of the most vulnerable people group in education.

10/13/2025

It doesn’t matter what political affiliation you have; you need to concern yourself with the OSEP layoffs and the potential impact it can have on your student with an IEP the your district in your state.

There are great sped teachers showing up daily because 90% of them have a heart of gold. They want what’s best. They want to make an impact.
But…they will find other careers if even the tip of the pyramid gives up on sped on the federal level.

In Texas, it’s been clear for years that the state cares very little about sped, and the teachers feel it.

If you have a great sped teacher in your life, let them know. They are DAILY facing challenges you don’t know about from admin, colleagues and others who have no idea what it really takes to be an effective teacher for students with IEPs. They are facing an uphill battle.

10/08/2025

📰BLOG EXCERPT 📰

"Parents being “involved” in developing the IEP doesn’t mean sitting silently in a room while the school team reads through reports.
It actually means ⬇️
-Having enough information to make informed decisions
-Being invited to collaborate, not just consent
-Having your concerns addressed in the IEP"

Parental involvement in the IEP is more than just a courtesy gesture: it's important AND it's legally required. This is SO important, especially when developing IEP goals for the year (which is our topic of convo this month!). Parent rights are no joke and unless you KNOW, you may not actually know.

Read the full blog post here:

What does it really mean for parents to be involved in the IEP process?When it comes to special education, one phrase gets repeated over and over: “Parents are equal members of the IEP team.”But what does that actually mean in practice? And why is it so important that parents are not just invite...