A sacred calling in a shifting world

November marked the 50-year anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Originally titled the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA), this landmark legislation signed by President Gerald Ford transformed the face of education in the United States. For the first time in our nation’s history, children with disabilities were guaranteed a free public education that would meet their unique needs. Many who had once been relegated to segregated settings—or even institutionalized in deplorable conditions—were finally welcomed into classrooms alongside their peers.

Before the passing of the EAHCA, half of all children with disabilities were not receiving an adequate education and a million were completely excluded from the public educational system. Change unfolded gradually, but by the 2022–2023 school year, two-thirds of students with disabilities in the United States spent at least 80% of their day in an integrated context. Yet such inclusion is uneven, and students with intellectual disabilities remain far less likely to learn in integrated settings than their peers with learning or other disabilities.

Special education flooded the news in recent months as the Trump administration has made substantial cuts to the Department of Education, particularly affecting special education. Already at risk due to a shortage of qualified special education teachers, many fear that IDEA, and with it the promise of equal education for students with disabilities, is under assault or at the very least in jeopardy. Parents and advocates are speaking out, calling for a renewed commitment to support and fund the IDEA.

Private institutions outside the federal funding system, including Christian schools, are not held to the IDEA. While public schools have a government mandate to provide education to students with disabilities, Christian schools have a unique impetus: the inherent value and dignity of every person, created in the image and likeness of God. The unique dignity bestowed upon each student should compel Christian schools to strive to make education available to all children.

No doubt Christian schools face formidable barriers to the education of students with disabilities, the greatest of which may very well be funding. Adequate resources, qualified teachers, and ongoing training come at a high cost, and if students with disabilities are to be included, they should be provided with the resources and support needed to flourish. When Christian schools take on the charge of educating students with special needs, they must be prepared to do so with excellence. Such an endeavor may come at great cost, but the thriving of students of all abilities in a nurturing faith community is worth the effort.

As Christians, we should celebrate when the government protects and fights for the vulnerable and lament when such protections are threatened. Yet we must not become complacent, delegating such a role to the government alone. Children with disabilities also need a Christian education.

While no school can teach all children, every school can teach some. Christian schools might begin their journey to educating students with disabilities by assessing the needs present within the families they currently serve, and then within the community around them. As schools seek to meet the needs within their midst, what begins as a small mustard seed can slowly blossom into a large tree.

The time is ripe for Christian schools to fulfill their God-given task of educating students with disabilities. As public resources for special education wane, Christians face an opportunity to lead. Let us take up the charge.