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Special education is not a place. It is a continuum of services and supports designed to empower every student to shape the world with knowledge, purpose, and passion.

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), we are called to reflect on what this landmark legislation has meant for our schools, communities, and, most importantly, our students. In Edison Township Public Schools, New Jersey’s largest suburban district, IDEA has long served as both a moral compass and a practical framework for ensuring that every child, regardless of ability, has access to meaningful and inclusive learning experiences.

Special education is not a place...It is a continuum of services and supports.

A Foundation for Access and Equity

While IDEA funding represents only a small percentage of our special education budget, these dollars remain indispensable. They allow us to sustain a continuum of services across the district. More than figures on a spreadsheet, IDEA funds become teachers, programs, and partnerships that directly shape students’ lives. They ensure that students with disabilities are not separated by circumstance or diagnosis but included in the academic and social fabric of our schools.

In Edison, IDEA resources have strengthened our in class resource programming and expanded literacy supports through Orton Gillingham certification for teachers. They also support specialized administrative roles, including our Coordinator of Inclusive Programs, who ensures that inclusion is not symbolic but effective. These investments help guarantee that students’ needs are met through research based interventions delivered by educators with the training and time to support diverse learners.

Inclusion as a Shared Belief

Over the past decade, Edison has grown into a district that views inclusion not as a mandate but as a shared belief. We have, in part, shifted away from traditional pull out models and toward instruction embedded within general education settings. This shift reflects not only a change in programming but a deep change in mindset.

Guided by the spirit of the Endrew F decision, which reaffirmed that every student is entitled to a program that is appropriately ambitious in light of the child’s circumstances, we continue raising expectations for students with disabilities and for ourselves. Our work reflects a commitment to ensuring that every learner has access to challenging instruction, meaningful engagement, and opportunities to thrive alongside typically developing peers.

Belonging Beyond

Inclusion must extend beyond academics. It must support social, emotional, and vocational development as well. Through partnerships with the New Jersey Department of Education and the federal Disabilities Inclusion Fund Grant, Edison has expanded community based instruction and real world readiness. This includes site based industries, work based learning programs across our middle and high schools, and one of our proudest achievements, the .

The Edison Success Academy serves students, with and without disabilities, who have struggled in traditional settings. It provides flexible pathways, targeted interventions, and meaningful opportunities to develop independence and confidence. Students engage in internships with local businesses and municipal partners, gaining practical experience that prepares them for life after graduation. These opportunities, supported by IDEA funding, open doors that would otherwise remain closed.

A Call to Policymakers: Finish the Work IDEA Began

The future of special education demands innovation and collaboration. The lasting effects of the pandemic underscore the need for expanded mental health supports, tiered academic systems, and stronger pathways for pre-vocational and vocational readiness. Families are also increasingly weighing the return on investment of traditional postsecondary education, with many seeing immediate entry into the workforce as the best option. This should encourage educators and policymakers to embrace multiple pathways for all students.

Elected officials must understand the depth of responsibility IDEA places on districts. IDEA provides protections and supports until a student turns 21, but once eligibility ends, many services fall away. Although districts prepare families through transition planning, we are ultimately preparing them for challenges they must face alone. While we work to prepare students for employment, continued education, and community engagement, federal leaders must consider how to bridge the gap between school-based supports and adult services.

Funding challenges further complicate this work. The responsibilities required of districts have grown, yet federal contributions have, on a percentage basis,  remained largely unchanged since IDEA’s inception. The promise of a free and appropriate public education cannot be fulfilled without sustained federal investment. For many communities, particularly those with limited resources, delivering on this promise is becoming increasingly difficult.

IDEA’s Legacy: A Promise to Keep

At its core, IDEA represents a promise that every child will be seen, supported, and valued. That promise has transformed public education for half a century, but it remains unfinished. As district leaders, we must continue advocating for the resources, understanding, and empathy needed to fulfill IDEA’s vision for the next generation.

In Edison Township Public Schools, we hold firmly to the belief that special education is not a place. It is a continuum of services and supports designed to empower every student to shape the world with knowledge, purpose, and passion. This belief guides every decision we make. It reminds us that inclusion is not about proximity but about participation, purpose, and potential. As we honor the 50th anniversary of IDEA, we renew our commitment to this work, to our students, and to the enduring spirit of a law that continues to change lives every day.