Special education complaints are soaring nationwide. Families are growing more frustrated. A new national survey by the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, which collected responses from 33 states, found that written complaints rose nearly 48 percent in one school year.
The number of students needing special education services is also at an all-time high. About 15 percent of public school students, or 7.5 million, needed special education services during the 2022–2023 school year, which is up from 6.4 million a decade earlier. The workforce for special education hasn’t increased.
It’s deeply personal for disabled students and their families. Jessica Carrigg, from Pinellas County, Florida, knows this firsthand. Her son, Bastian, is four and has autism, ADHD, and a language disorder.
Disagreements over his individualized education program, or IEP went on for months. Jessica was trying to figure out which services he qualified for and how often he’d get them. Filing a formal state complaint wasn’t something she thought she’d do when Bastian started preschool, but it seemed like her only choice.
Conflict often begins long before a complaint is filed. Carrie Gillispie, a senior policy analyst at New America’s education policy division, says that creating and updating an IEP can be tough. Parents and educators frequently have different ideas about what a child should accomplish. What parents think their child deserves and what schools can actually provide are often two different things.
IEPs are extremely costly for districts, costing tens of thousands of dollars per student. They also create lots of paperwork, which is a big administrative burden for teachers and staff. The stress of dealing with IEPs is what drives many educators away from special education careers, according to Gillispie. This leads to bigger workloads for those who stay, and it ultimately hurts student achievement and well-being.
IEPs are crucial. Because of my IEP, I had biweekly physical therapy, assistive technology, and a paraprofessional who worked with me daily. This support allowed me to attend local schools from preschool through twelfth grade.
Districts face challenges in meeting demand. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 74 percent of elementary and middle schools had trouble filling special education teaching positions for the 2024–25 school year.
Districts everywhere are struggling. As of August 2024, six special education teacher vacancies existed in Scott County, Kentucky. Vacancies in Massachusetts often persist for months, or even the entire year, which leads schools to hire substitutes or uncertified teachers. The School District of Philadelphia, reports that a record number of students are receiving special education services that have led to a severe shortage of trained school staff, making it challenging to give disabled students the help they require.
The increase in complaints points to a deeper issue: with no room for error, families are fighting harder. Shortages, combined with growing needs, lead to deteriorating services, longer waits for help, and parents using their only available means to enforce action. This surge in complaints is a warning. Now, the question is, will school districts rebuild to ensure services are available for the next generation?
Sources:
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“Most U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools Faced Hiring Challenges for the Start of the 2024–25 Academic Year.” National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 17 Oct. 2024, https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/10_17_2024.asp.
Passmore, Grason. “Scott Co. Faces Special Education Teacher Shortage.” WKYT, Gray Television, 1 Aug. 2024, http://www.wkyt.com/2024/08/02/scott-co-faces-special-education-teacher-shortage/?outputType=amp.
Silcox, Fallon. “Special Education Complaints Spike Nearly 48% Nationwide, According to Survey.” Bay News 9, 28 Aug. 2026, https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2026/08/28/special-education-complaints-spike-nearly–nationwide-according-to-survey.
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