Report Finds States Failed to Meet IDEA Monitoring Obligations
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) has released an examination of recent federal monitoring reports assessing how States oversee special education programs and the use of federal funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report concludes that many States continue to lack the capacity or commitment to effectively monitor IDEA compliance across thousands of school districts serving millions of students with disabilities.
According to COPAA, the monitoring reports reveal persistent patterns of noncompliance, inadequate State oversight of both IDEA requirements and federal funding, and significant weaknesses in ensuring that students receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The report also notes that the U.S. Department of Education reduced onsite State monitoring from roughly 10 States annually to just two States in both 2025 and 2026, raising additional concerns about federal oversight. The report argues that these findings undermine claims that responsibility for education should be shifted to the States and instead underscore the need for strong federal-to-state and state-to-district accountability systems so that students with disabilities and their families are not left to enforce IDEA protections on their own.