More OSERS Breadcrumbs
Federal Register Notice Signals OSERS Is Still Active in Special Education Oversight
While U.S. Department of Education (USED) continues issuing press releases focused on higher education, it’s leaving breadcrumbs about the future of its Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).
December 4, 2025, OSERS published a Federal Register notice requesting public comment on a proposed extension of recordkeeping and reporting requirements under IDEA Part B. The proposal seeks to continue, without changes, the obligations that states and local school districts must follow to comply with federal special education law. The notice confirms that the information collection relates to “private schools, parentally placed private school students, State high cost fund, notification of free and low cost legal services, early intervening services, notification of hearing officers and mediators, State complaint procedures, and the LEA application under Part B.”
BREADCRUMB #1: This offers additional confirmation that OSERS is still operating in its regulatory role, maintaining oversight functions, administering IDEA compliance mechanisms, and following standard public input procedures. It’s significant that the notice did not propose changes to the reporting.
BREADCRUMB #2: Comments submitted by mail are directed to be sent to “Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education”. Comments aren’t due until February 2, 2026, so it’s a positive that OSEP and USED remain the mailing address.
Interested in commenting?
Comments are due by February 2, 2026, and can be submitted via Regulations.gov under Docket ID ED-2025-SCC-0976 or mailed directly to Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 4A119, Washington, DC 20202-1200.