Using Human Resources Planning to Disrupt Racism and Ableism in the IDEA

This article proposes using the dimension of human resources planning (Rebore, 2011) as a vehicle to disrupt the racism and ableism in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (the "IDEA") that contributes to children of color being disproportionately overidentified into stigmatized disability categories which carry less per-pupil funding. The IDEA guarantees children with disabilities the right to a "free and appropriate public education" ("FAPE"). Since Congress passed the IDEA in 1975, there have been disparities across racial lines with respect to identification of students and classification of disabilities, and the funding associated with these classifications. This article considers how certain decisions within the realm of human resources can disrupt these inequities against the backdrop of school finance litigation.