Students with Disabilities Not Forgotten

CONCORD- The New Hampshire Department of Education received notification yesterday of its additional allocation of $10.5 million to support students with disabilities. These funds come to the state through the recently enacted American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and add to over $650 million of federal school relief funds already received to support schools. 

“Students with disabilities need unique supports to make sure that they can access their education and achieve success,” stated Frank Edelblut, Commissioner of Education. “Throughout this pandemic, starting with our initial pivot to remote instruction and support in March 2020, we have kept our focus, and continued to work to make sure that students with disabilities and our most vulnerable students are served well.” 

In the fall of 2020, the department made $3.9 million of directed grants to private providers of special education funded by the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery to aid in the support of special education services.

 “These and additional funds under ARPA will allow schools to continue to support students with disabilities and fill in gaps where students may not have made the progress IEP teams had wanted to see,” stated Rebecca Fredette, the State Director of Special Education in the Bureau of Student Support.