- United States
- Mich.
- Letter
As your constituent, and member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), I urge you to preserve the primary role that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) plays in ensuring that all students have access to the services and supports that school-based professionals, including many audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide that support student success and achievement.
An estimated 109,000 of this country’s audiologists and SLPs work in early childhood and K-12 education settings. The services we provide help ensure all children and students develop effective cognitive-communication skills and achieve successful learning outcomes.
Speech-language pathology services are highly utilized by students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). According to ED’s Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA, 2023, speech or language impairments are the second most prevalent disability category of services provided under IDEA Part B, which provides federal support for students with disabilities.
ED plays a vital role in enforcing key legal protections for students, particularly those with disabilities, and supporting educators by elevating best practices from around the nation. It also plays an important role in supporting states and local school districts in providing a quality education and related support for all students and their families. It is imperative that ED remain a cabinet-level agency to ensure that programs providing all students, especially those with disabilities, access to the services and supports that educational audiologists and school-based SLPs provide are overseen and implemented by those with the experience and expertise to ensure student success.
I urge you to oppose any legislation that would weaken federal support for our nation’s students and educators by eliminating ED or transferring its responsibilities to other federal agencies that are not directly focused on ensuring educational success for all.