III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 284 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 12, 2010 Received and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Recognizing the work and importance of special education teachers.

Whereas, in 1972, the United States Supreme Court ruled that children with disabilities have the same right to receive a quality education in the public schools as their nondisabled peers and, in 1975, the United States Congress passed Public Law 94–142 guaranteeing students with disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education; Whereas, according to the Department of Education, approximately 6,600,000 children (roughly 13 percent of all school-aged children) receive special education services; Whereas there are over 370,000 highly qualified special education teachers in the United States; Whereas the work of special education teachers requires them to be able to interact and teach students with specific learning disabilities, hearing impairments, speech or language impairments, orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, traumatic brain injury, and other health impairments; Whereas special education teachers are dedicated, possess the ability to understand a diverse group of students’ needs, and have the capacity to be innovative in their teaching methods for their unique group of students and understanding of the differences of the children in their care; Whereas special education teachers must have the ability to interact and coordinate with a child’s parents or legal guardians, social workers, school psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, and school administrators, as well as other educators to provide the best quality education for their students; Whereas special education teachers help to develop an individualized education program for every special education student based on the student’s needs and abilities; and Whereas these unique individuals dedicate themselves so special education students are prepared for daily life after graduation: Now, therefore, be it

That the Congress— (1)recognizes the amount of work it requires to be a special education teacher; and (2)commends special education teachers for their sacrifice and dedication while providing the quality life skills to individuals with special needs.

Passed the House of Representatives June 30, 2010. Lorraine C. Miller, Clerk