Oklahoma parents express concern over Senate bill affecting care for special needs students

Parents across Oklahoma are reacting to a new bill from the State Senate that would affect medical care for students with special needs.

Senate Bill 1017 would prohibit the Oklahoma Health Care Authority from covering medically necessary services, instead only covering "educationally necessary services."

What services would be affected?

“Senator Deever says his bill won't cut services, but that's not what the bill says,” Rhys Gay, a concerned parent said.

Senate Bill 1017 defines “school-based services” as “designed instruction and services that are educationally necessary for the eligible student to receive a free and appropriate public education.”

A few of the school-based services in jeopardy are:

-Physical therapy

-Occupational therapy

-Speech and language therapy

-Psychological therapy

-Health examinations

-Immunizations

-Flu vaccines

-Eye examinations

“These services are not the responsibility of the Oklahoma K-12 public schools and shall be the responsibility of the parents or guardians to provide for their children off campus and after school hours,” Senate Bill 1017 states.

How will this affect children with special needs?

For parents of children with special needs on Individualized Education Plans, or IEP’s, they're most worried about the bill potentially stripping speech, occupational, and physical therapies from schools.

“These children are going to fall through the cracks,” Gay said.

He is one of many criticizing the bill online.

He says his son Everett, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth, receives critical care through his IEP every day.

“Speaking for my son, these services are really the difference between struggling in silence and really having a chance to succeed,” Gay said.

Deevers Responds on Twitter

Deevers responded to the backlash on Twitter clarifying “Under SB1017, no student's educationally necessary IEP services will be cut...”

Deevers Twitter post also promised amendments to the bill to clarify that speech, physical and occupational therapy will still be covered.

“Look, if that was not his intent, it is poorly written. And if it was his intention, he is now backtracking. Either way, it's unacceptable,” Gay said.

We reached out to Senator Deevers for a comment on this story but did not hear back.

To read the bill online, visit the Oklahoma State Legislature's website.