{"id":397,"date":"2026-06-02T10:03:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=397"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:03:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:03:27","slug":"jared-polis-signs-bill-containing-protections-for-colorado-kids-with-disabilities-even-as-funding-remains-up-in-the-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=397","title":{"rendered":"Jared Polis signs bill containing protections for Colorado kids with disabilities even as funding remains up in the air"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Colorado families who have a student with a disability are one step closer to a new state resource where they will be able to file complaints when they believe a school is discriminating against their child or failing to fulfill specific requirements spelled out in their learning plan.<\/p>\n

Read more Federal judge blocks breakup of NCAR in Boulder while blasting Trump for enacting political revenge on Colorado<\/a><\/p>\n

But whether the state will be able to stand up a team responsible for investigating complaints isn\u2019t a guarantee, even after Gov. Jared Polis on Friday signed Senate Bill 125 into law. It will all come down to whether Colorado can find the money in a penny-pinching budget year.<\/p>\n

The new law, which codifies the federal civil rights of students with disabilities into state law, aims to develop an arm under the Colorado Department of Education that can examine allegations of discrimination against schools from parents of kids requiring a 504 plan. Those types of plans, protected by federal law, ensure students with disabilities have equal access to education and equip them with necessary learning accommodations, such as additional testing time or a seat at the front of the classroom.<\/p>\n

Proponents of the legislation advocated for a state-level focus on responding to parents\u2019 concerns about their student\u2019s civil rights being violated because of significant cuts to the federal Office for Civil Rights. That office, housed under the U.S. Department of Education, has historically taken the lead on investigations into complaints of discrimination in K-12 schools, including from parents filing a complaint on the basis of disability. But after the Trump administration closed seven of its 12 regional offices and dismissed nearly 300 employees last year, families were left in a lurch, wondering when \u2014 or if \u2014 the federal government would take a closer look at their cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this moment in time, we\u2019re seeing a great reduction of civil rights enforcement at the federal level and that includes disability rights,\u201d Emily Harvey, co-legal director at the nonprofit Disability Law Colorado who helped write the legislation, told The Colorado Sun. \u201cAnd as the federal government steps away from enforcing people\u2019s civil rights, I think states need to step in to make sure that people are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harvey said she is optimistic the new law will reinforce the need for schools to follow through on providing kids with resources defined in their 504 plans. It will also give families a new avenue for recourse when schools are not adequately addressing bullying and will hold school officials accountable should they retaliate against a parent fighting for their child\u2019s rights, she added.<\/p>\n

Where will the state find $650K in startup costs?<\/h2>\n

While Polis threw his support behind the legislation, he also raised questions about using gifts, grants and donations \u2014 as outlined in the bill \u2014 to cover the costs of launching and operating an arm in the state education department that can manage complaints.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The department will need more than $650,000 to hire three staff members who can dig into complaints and enforce the civil rights of students with disabilities. That startup funding will also help the department train local districts and give them resources to inform them on how to adequately serve kids with 504 plans. Additionally, the money will support the state education department in getting critical technology in place to accept and track complaints.<\/p>\n

The state education department will also need more than $500,000 every year to pay staff.<\/p>\n

In a letter Polis sent to the state Senate on Friday, he wrote that he thinks the state should fund the work and so he plans to work with the education department to ask the General Assembly to cover the budget.<\/p>\n

Polis described gifts, grants and donations as a \u201cproblematic funding mechanism\u201d for protecting kids with disabilities. He wrote in the letter he believes that it \u201csets a dangerous precedent for how to fund core government services, especially something as critical as civil rights enforcement, which should never be on-again, off-again\u201d based on whether the agency raises enough money. He said he also worries about the potential for a conflict of interest should the department receive dollars from organizations subject to enforcement.<\/p>\n

Read more Tina Peters released from Colorado prison. Corrections officials remain tight-lipped over her parole conditions.<\/a><\/p>\n

Funding aside, Polis wrote that he understands the need for families to \u201chave a more easily navigable pathway\u201d to submit complaints to the state. Otherwise, he noted, many families simply decide to not seek help for their complaints and some wait months or years for some kind of resolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs any parent understands,\u201d Polis wrote, \u201ctime is of the essence when it comes to ensuring their children receive the services they need to succeed in school.\u201d<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s stamp of approval for the legislation extinguished widespread panic that he would veto it.<\/p>\n

The State Board of Education even chimed in with a May 22 letter in which four of the nine board members urged Polis to sign the legislation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concerns that gave rise to this legislation are not theoretical,\u201d the board members wrote. \u201cThey reflect the real experiences of Colorado students and families who have struggled to access educational opportunities guaranteed to them under the law. Those students deserve meaningful protections, consistent standards, and confidence that their state will stand behind their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack Johnson, an attorney and the public policy liaison at Disability Law Colorado, said state funding would be the \u201cbest and most appropriate funding stream\u201d for the law. Disability Law Colorado also plans to turn to the State Board of Education and the education department to ask about other funding sources that might be available. Bill sponsors and drafters have two years to nail down funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The education department will not move forward with hiring employees to take on complaints of discrimination until funding is firmly in place, Johnson said. And he is confident the education department will avoid conflicts of interest should they turn to outside sources of funding, saying plenty of grants exist that would keep them free of any conflicts.<\/p>\n

Before families whose children have experienced discrimination in schools tap the state education department for help, the law will require them to first try to work with their school district toward a resolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than have folks get caught up in some state process that isn\u2019t fully baked, we wanted to make sure that they could just go directly to their schools to start the process,\u201d state Sen. Janice Marchman, one of four Democrats to sponsor the bill.<\/p>\n

If that doesn\u2019t work, they can then ask the state to swoop in for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey know their rights,\u201d Marchman, of Loveland, said. \u201cThey know their kids have rights, but sometimes the schools don\u2019t honor those, and it feels really bad when your rights are not provided to you. And so I\u2019m just hopeful that this results in less bullying, less discrimination, easier access to services, easier conversations between parents, counselors, students and teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more JD Vance tells Air Force Academy graduates to prepare for entirely new era of warfare<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The law will add new staff to the state department of education who will investigate complaints of discrimination in schools \u2014 if Colorado finds the money<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\nJared Polis signs bill containing protections for Colorado kids with disabilities even as funding remains up in the air - Colorado Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=397\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jared Polis signs bill containing protections for Colorado kids with disabilities even as funding remains up in the air - 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