Florida fails to meet federal disability standards for infants, toddlers
A roundup of Florida education news from around the state
Tampa Bay Times | By: Nakylah Carter | June 25, 2026
The big story: Throughout the country, a majority of states and U.S. territories have been struggling to meet annual targets on implementing federal education services for students with disabilities and early intervention for those under age 2.
According to a summary report published last week by the U.S. Department of Education, only 21 states and territories, including Florida, met implementation and improvement targets defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
But while the state fell in the “meets requirements” determination for disabled students ages 3-21, Florida fell short.
Florida was one of 19 states that the government has determined needs assistance for two or more consecutive years for early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays.
For children under age 2, only one state, Louisiana, fell into the category below that: States that need intervention. For children ages 3-21, the Bureau of Indian Education, New Mexico, New York, the District of Columbia, Vermont and Maine fell into this category.
The analysis, using data from 2024, defined the success of a state or territory in accomplishing the requirements and purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by four separate determinations: “meets,” “needs assistance,” “needs intervention” or “needs substantial intervention.”
If a state was defined as needing assistance, it was based on one year of noncompliance. If intervention was necessary, the assistance exceeded one year. This determination triggers a requirement for the state to be proactive about fixing the issue, including accessing technical assistance, becoming labeled as a “high-risk grantee” and a required allocation of “set-aside” funds to help meet federal standards.
States and territories labeled as needing intervention for three or more years face federal enforcement.
This release comes amid speculation that Florida is failing the disabled children population in other ways.
