According to a notice published on August 22, 2025 in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is proposing to remove a requirement for states to collect and report on racial disparities in special education. The data collection, which is part of the annual state application under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, provides assurances that the state and its districts will comply with IDEA rules as a condition for receiving federal IDEA funding.
Known in the field as significant disproportionality, the data collection for racial overrepresentation or underrepresentation in special education helps identify states and districts that have racial disparities among student special education identifications, placements and discipline. In the 2021-22 school year, data showed that about 5% of school districts nationwide were identified with significant disproportionality.
The USDE has not said it wants to rescind or pause the significant disproportionality regulation, a rule known as Equity in IDEA, which was last updated in 2016. However, during the first Trump administration, the implementation of the rule was delayed by the USDE until a lawsuit forced the rule to be back in full effect.
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