Ruling could lead to expansion of special-education services

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge's ruling could lead to an expansion of special-education services to thousands of Iowa students.

The Des Moines Register reports that Administrative Law Judge Christie Scase has ordered the Iowa Education Department to reimburse an Urbandale couple for private tutoring they provided after their child was denied special-education programming at school.

Scase says the department should revisit its policies on determining who qualifies for special education.

Randy Califf is vice president of the advocacy group Decoding Dyslexia Iowa, and he says potentially thousands more Iowa students could qualify for special education if the department were to alter its eligibility rules.

The Education Department is appealing the case in U.S. District Court, seeking a declaration that its rules comply with federal law.