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Schools must provide sports for students with disabilities, feds say
Education Secretary Arne Duncan clarified schools' sports and activities obligations for students with disabilities.
January 25th, 2013
12:34 PM ET

Schools must provide sports for students with disabilities, feds say

Schools must give students with disabilities equal opportunities to participate in extracurricular athletics, including varsity sports, the U.S. Department of Education said today. And if existing sports don't meet the needs of those students, schools must create additional athletic programs.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights pointed to a 2010 report from the Government Accountability Office that said disabled students were not getting equal opportunities to participate in sports, a right they were granted under the Rehabilitation Act, passed in 1973.

For more on this story, read CNN's Schools of Thought blog.

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Filed under: Education • Sports
soundoff (14 Responses)
  1. the prophet

    Who is going to pay for it?

    January 25, 2013 at 1:15 pm | Report abuse | Reply
    • Sarah Palin

      I'm for smaller government except when it benefits my own kids.

      January 25, 2013 at 3:09 pm | Report abuse |
  2. the prophet

    More kids need help then ever before thanks to the Government neglect on Education , how ironic to impose standards!!

    January 25, 2013 at 1:18 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  3. Portland tony

    Schools have eliminated many athletic activities because of local financial shortfalls...Yes, where is the money going to come from?

    January 25, 2013 at 1:28 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  4. brianzrimsek

    Equal opportunity to try out.
    Equal opportunity to be cut or ride the bench.
    High school sports are about winning and only the best will play to achieve that goal.

    January 25, 2013 at 1:47 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  5. M

    How about more peer to peer mentoring and Best Buddie groups for those with disabilities. Social SKills groups and such will do more for kids with disabilities than creating sports programs...

    January 25, 2013 at 2:30 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  6. dawindbag

    They expect equality, and that equality will now be that no one gets to play sports in school. Bang up job lawyers.

    January 25, 2013 at 2:44 pm | Report abuse | Reply
    • Mickey1313

      Sounds great to me. End athletic elitism in high school.

      January 25, 2013 at 2:49 pm | Report abuse |
  7. the prophet

    The government is nothing more then a racket run by thieves

    January 25, 2013 at 4:12 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  8. the prophet

    Lets see who is smart how much does the Earth weight ? and how big is gravity?

    January 25, 2013 at 4:15 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  9. krehator

    I'm filing suit against he NFL. I should get to play. It's not fair I was born small.

    January 25, 2013 at 11:42 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  10. Sokman

    Imagine the absurdity of expecting someone to be athletic to participate in athletic activities

    January 26, 2013 at 3:30 am | Report abuse | Reply
  11. Ancient Texan

    When P.E. is being eliminated for a lot of able-bodied kids, how does this make sense?

    January 26, 2013 at 9:30 am | Report abuse | Reply
  12. scmtns

    This is a joke, right?

    January 29, 2013 at 7:21 am | Report abuse | Reply

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