| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE
Issues impacting music therapy clients and clinicians:
- A lawsuit was filed by 17 State Attorney Generals (Texas vs. Becerra), asking a federal court to declare Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act unconstitutional. This civil rights law, as it relates to education, prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. For more details, please visit: https://thearc.org/resource/texas-v-becerra/
- The administration and some Congressional Members are proposing moving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-originally enacted in 1975) out of the Department of Education and into the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This potential move would shift the focus from education to health issues for students with disabilities, which ignores the intent of why IDEA was created. IDEA has been included within the Department of Education since the Department was created in 1979.
- The following excerpt is from a press release posted on the U.S. Department of Education’s website on March 11, 2025:
As part of the Department of Education’s final mission, the Department today initiated a reduction in force (RIF) impacting nearly 50% of the Department’s workforce. Impacted Department staff will be placed on administrative leave beginning Friday, March 21st.
Both the general education and special education community is advocating for maintaining the Department and supporting its vital role in ensuring quality education opportunities for students of all ages and ability levels.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
WHAT ADVOCACY HAS OCCURRED
AMTA continues to collaborate with our coalition partners to communicate with Members of Congress and federal agencies regarding issues impacting music therapy clients and clinicians. With support from AMTA’s education legal consultant, Myrna Mandlawitz, and as members of the National Alliance of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (NASISP), the IDEA Coalition, the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) Education Task Force, and the CCD Developmental Disabilities, Autism, and Family Support Task Force, AMTA is able to monitor federal activity and participate in coalition advocacy communications and calls-to-action from a national level.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Please visit the following action centers for ways to share your stories and viewpoints about these issues related to education access in the U.S.
Council of Administrators of Special Education | CASE Action Center
CASE, The Council of Administrators of Special Education, the largest division of the Council for Exceptional Children, is an international nonprofit professional organization providing leadership, advocacy, and professional development to more than 6,000 administrators responsible for the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. CASE was organized in 1951 in New York, NY at the annual CEC Convention.
The Arc Action Center
The AFT-American Federation of Teachers
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
COMMUNICATE WITH US:
Help us support you by keeping us informed on what is happening in your area related to recent federal actions and how they are impacting music therapy clinical practice and consumer access. Please share information by sending your remarks to Governmentrelations@musictherapy.org with 2025 in the subject line.
SUPPORT AMTA
AMTA needs your support in a few ways. If feasible, consider donating to the AMTA Andrea Farbman Government Relations Fund, become or renew your membership, or simply share important information with us at the email address above.
|
|
|
|
|
</tbody>
Back
8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1000 | Silver Spring MD 20910 | Phone: 301.589.3300 | Fax: 301.589.5175
|