Sponsors (9)
The bill expands protections and access for students with dyslexia—promoting clearer identification and more equitable services—while imposing increased costs, administrative work, and potential legal disputes for school districts, especially if no new funding is provided.
Students with dyslexia will be explicitly recognized as eligible under IDEA, increasing access to specialized instruction, interventions, and supports for affected students.
Eligible children — including low-income students and English learners — must receive equal access to accommodations and services, and an explicit nondiscrimination requirement strengthens accountability for historically underserved groups.
A statutory definition of dyslexia provides clarity for educators, parents, and local agencies, supporting more consistent identification and evidence-based interventions across school districts.
School districts will face increased costs to identify, assess, and deliver evidence-based dyslexia services and training; without additional federal funding this could strain special education budgets and force trade-offs with other services.
Districts will incur administrative burdens — revising IEP/eligibility procedures and providing professional development — creating short-term implementation challenges and staff time demands.
Broader recognition of eligibility could lead to more disputes or due-process claims from parents over eligibility and services, increasing legal costs and administrative hearings for districts.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a statutory definition of dyslexia to IDEA, lists dyslexia as a disability, and requires equal access to IDEA services for eligible children including low-income and English learners.
Official title: To amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to improve provisions relating to dyslexia, and for other purposes.
Introduced October 17, 2025 by Erin Houchin · Last progress October 17, 2025
Adds dyslexia as a listed disability under IDEA, creates a statutory definition of dyslexia, and requires schools and other agencies to ensure equal access to IDEA eligibility determinations, accommodations, and services for children with dyslexia — explicitly naming children from low-income families, children from families with low socioeconomic status, and English learners. It updates cross-references in IDEA definitions to include dyslexia and removes alternative language referencing environmental causes. The change is a targeted technical and substantive update to IDEA definitions and nondiscrimination language to ensure dyslexia is recognized and protected within special education eligibility and service delivery. It does not itself appropriate new funds or create new programs, but it may affect local educational agencies' assessments, eligibility determinations, and service procedures.