VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Congresswoman Luria announced on Thursday she signed a bipartisan letter recommending that Congressional Leadership includes funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in future COVID-19 relief packages.

Currently, IDEA funding provides educational resources for all children with disabilities. Having full funding provided through relief packages would allow this to continue while helping with distance learning.

While Luria supports the CARES Act, she feels more should be done to help ease the difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the statement released, “When IDEA became law, the federal government promised states and school districts that it would pay 40 percent of the Average Per Pupil Expenditure in IDEA Part B grants.”

The statement continues on to explain that the agreement has not yet been fulfilled and the numbers show that the total has yet to surpass 19.4%.

“Access to a quality education is an issue that is deeply important to me and to families throughout Hampton Roads. That is why I joined this bipartisan effort to urge Congressional leadership to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the next relief package,” said the congresswoman. “As remote learning becomes our new normal, Congress has a responsibility to ensure students with disabilities have access to a quality education during this public health emergency.”

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