Angie Craig: “I have the privilege today to be here on the floor to support S. 717, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.…”

“I have the privilege today to be here on the floor to support S. 717, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. First of all, I find it important to congratulate Senator Jeffords, Senator Coats, and Senator Lott, who have worked hard to reach a compromise that I believe this legislation supports. It is an important compromise because this is necessary and important legislation. As my colleagues have stated so well here today on the floor, IDEA is our Nation's core special education statute for children with disabilities. In 1975, when the original IDEA passed, Congress accepted responsibility in this area. Now it is our turn to live up to this commitment. I happen to have a son-in-law who is a fifth grade schoolteacher. He speaks to me about the difficulties in the classroom when there are not enough resources to be able to handle children who find themselves with these difficulties and the average child who is there in the classroom to learn. He finds himself dividing his time up among these, and sometimes in an inappropriate way, and not offering to all of the children the kind of time that their teacher and their instructor ought to give. In the bill before the Senate today we have a balanced approach which takes into account the needs and rights of the local school boards, teachers, parents and, most important, the students.”