Public School Districts Leave Special-Needs Students, Families with Few Options 

Harrisburg, Pa., December 16, 2025 — Traditional public schools leave students with disabilities on months- or years-long wait lists for compliance with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), according to a new report from the Commonwealth Foundation.  

If a public school district fails to meet the needs of a student’s IEP, families have few cost-friendly options. Alternative schooling options, such as in-district transfer, career and technical education, or a charter school, are one option of recourse for families. 

Unfortunately, the best line of defense against non-compliance is legal action against the district. Transfers are often only the result of burdensome legal battles and costs.  

However, this leaves low-income families with few resources to fight for the vital their child needs.  As a result, non-compliance with IEPs is often standard practice for families who cannot afford to force compliance.  

Rachel Langan, senior education policy analyst of the Commonwealth Foundation, issued the following statement in response: 

“When a district school fails to meet a child’s special education needs, the commonsense solution would be for the district to do everything in its power to find an alternative schooling option.  

“Disgracefully, families instead must take legal action to force public schools to meet their child’s special education needs. The obstacles that families face in accessing necessary educational services disproportionately harm low-income families and block educational equality.  

“These alternative options are not examples of ‘school choice.’ They are the bare minimum that school districts must offer so students receive the specialized education they need.  

“This unsettling pattern reveals a broken system that is failing Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable students. Families need genuine school choice that puts them in the driver’s seat of their child’s education—not loopholes and lawsuits from their district.