In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
State education agencies saw a 46% jump in the number of written state complaints in special education during the 2025-26 school year compared to the year before, according to new survey responses from 31 states.
The self-reported survey data, collected by the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, shows that during the 2024-25 school year there were 7,907 written state complaints. That number rose to 11,523 in the 2025-26 school year.
Written state complaints trigger a state-led investigation into a special education-related concern brought forward by anyone, which can include parents and community members. There is no cost to filing a written state complaint, unlike special education due process complaints, which typically involve assistance from an attorney.
CEC and NASDSE said that while there is no single reason for the increased rate of written state complaints, many families have reported a lack of faith in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to resolve their concerns, the organizations said.
During the second Trump administration, OCR has significantly reduced its workforce and closed seven of 12 regional offices that assist with reviewing and investigating K-12 and higher education discrimination complaints filed to the Education Department.
A U.S. Government Accountability Office report in February found that between March and September 2025, OCR received more than 9,000 complaints and resolved 7,072 of those complaints, mainly by dismissing 90% of them.
