Sponsor
Erin Houchin
Representative · R-IN
Representative · R-IN
The bill clarifies and expands protections and eligibility for students with specific learning disabilities and for low-income and English-learner children—improving equity and diagnostic clarity—while imposing new administrative, assessment, and eligibility risks that could increase costs and, in some cases, limit access if prior instruction is deemed adequate.
Low-income students will receive equal access to IDEA accommodations and services, reducing income-based disparities in special education support.
Students with specific learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia) are explicitly named and defined, improving clarity and consistency in eligibility determinations for special education.
Children with limited English proficiency are explicitly protected from exclusion and must receive equal IDEA services, strengthening access for English learners.
Students could be denied special education services if prior instruction is judged 'appropriate' under the Adult Education and Literacy Act linkage, narrowing eligibility for some with reading difficulties.
School districts will likely incur administrative, training, and implementation costs to revise evaluation procedures and comply with the expanded definitions and equal-access requirements.
Explicitly excluding certain categories (visual, hearing, motor, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance) may shift students into other eligibility categories, complicating coordination of supports and potentially delaying services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Clarifies and expands the IDEA definition of specific learning disability, names example disorders, lists exclusions, and requires equal access to IDEA services for low‑income and limited‑English‑proficient children.
Official title: To make certain revisions to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 17, 2026 by Erin Houchin · Last progress August 17, 2026
Revises the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) definitions and access rules for students with specific learning disabilities. The bill updates wording and punctuation, expands and clarifies the definition of “specific learning disability” by naming example disorders (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia) and listing included and excluded conditions, and adds a requirement that local education agencies provide equal access to IDEA services for all eligible children, explicitly naming children from low-income households and children with limited English proficiency. The changes also cross-reference the Adult Education and Literacy Act definition of the “essential components of reading instruction” to clarify when lack of appropriate reading instruction should be treated as an exclusion from IDEA eligibility. The measure focuses on definitional clarity and nondiscrimination in access to services rather than on funding formulas or new program authorizations.