	Background

		DOD Schools and Students with Disabilities

DOD operates a worldwide school system to meet the educational needs  of military dependent students and others, such as the children of DOD’s  civilian employees overseas. 1). 2). DOD Provides Special Education Services through a Complex System That Varies by Location

Like public schools in the United States, DOD is required to provide  special education and related services necessary to meet the unique  needs of eligible students. Domestic DOD schools provide special education for all types and levels  of disabilities, mainly within DOD schools. Schools in Ramstein,  Germany, are equipped to serve children with severe disabilities of any  type. Military Branches Screen Families and Consult with DODEA to Assign Families to Overseas Locations, but Ineffective Processes May Strain School Resources

		Military Branches’ Processes to Coordinate Overseas Assignment of Servicemembers with Families with Special Needs Are Not Always Effective

Because DOD schools in overseas communities are designated to serve  children with certain types and levels of disabilities, the military branches  and DODEA are required to coordinate the overseas assignment of  servicemembers with families with special needs, including all children  with IEPs. For example, during our review of DODEA’s screening  and assignment concern database, we found one case in which a school  overseas that did not have pre-existing programs in place for students  with severe cognitive disabilities received such a student. Families Generally Satisfied with Special Education Services, but Face Challenges Obtaining Them

		Limited Educational and Medical Specialists in Some Locations Pose Challenges for Families, and Schools Struggle to Hire and Retain Staff

Families in 21 out of the 22 focus groups we held told us they were  generally satisfied with the special education services their children  received in DOD schools once they received them. In addition, participants in three focus groups were not aware  that the EFM program provided support in learning about or accessing  services. However, the extent to  which these efforts are helping families obtain information and access  services for their children remains unclear. Office of Special Needs’ Oversight of Screening Processes and Family Support Programs Is Limited

Although OSN was established to enhance and monitor the military  branches’ support for military families with special needs, it lacks a strong  oversight role and enforcement authority. At least one military branch has  Because DOD currently lacks performance goals and benchmarks, it  cannot assess the effectiveness of the branches’ EFM programs and  ensure that improvements are made when needed. Without overall  performance information to proactively identify emerging problem areas,  some of the branches have only been able to react to specific problems  after they have arisen. OSN has recently taken some steps to enhance the military branches’  EFM programs. However, it is unclear when some of these efforts will be  completed or if they will be effectively implemented. While OSN was  established in part to monitor the military branches’ support for families  with special needs, it has limited enforcement authority over the  branches’ EFM programs. Specifically, it is limited in the extent to which it  can compel the branches to comply with DOD or service-level program  requirements, and it has no direct means by which to hold them  accountable if they fail to do so. To ensure that military families are assigned to overseas installations that  can readily meet their children’s special educational and medical needs,  we recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct the secretaries of  each branch to ensure that all military dependent children of school age  are medically and educationally screened in accordance with each  branch’s policies and that all required educational screening forms are  forwarded to DODEA for educational assignment recommendations prior  to families’ relocations. To improve oversight of the military branches’ programs for families with  special needs, we recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct OSN  to establish uniform benchmarks and performance goals for the  identification/enrollment and assignment coordination components of the  military branches’ EFM programs. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

The objectives of this report were to determine (1) how the Department of  Defense (DOD) provides special education services, and any associated  challenges for families and schools; (2) how DOD entities coordinate to  assign families to overseas locations, and how schools might be affected;  (3) what challenges, if any, families face in obtaining DOD services for  their children with special educational needs and accessing related  information; and (4) what steps, if any, DOD is taking to enhance  screening and overseas assignment for families with children with special  educational needs. During our school visits we conducted 22 focus groups with  parents of children with special education needs enrolled in these  schools. In  addition, we reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations. 3.
Why GAO Did This Study

DOD operates a worldwide school system to meet the educational needs of military dependents. Questions have arisen about whether DOD is meeting the special needs of some of these children, such as those with learning disabilities. In response to a mandate in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, GAO reviewed (1) how DOD provides special education services; (2) how DOD entities coordinate to assign families overseas and how schools might be affected; (3) what challenges, if any, families face in accessing DOD services for their children with special educational needs and obtaining related information; and (4) what steps, if any, DOD is taking to enhance screening and overseas assignment for families with children with special educational needs. GAO reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations, analyzed DOD documents and data, and conducted interviews with officials from multiple DOD entities, including schools. GAO also held 22 focus groups with parents of children with special needs during site visits and phone interviews at eight military installations worldwide.

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) provides special education services through a complex system that varies by location. Domestically, DOD provides special education mainly within DOD schools. In contrast, DOD schools overseas vary in the types and levels of disabilities they are readily equipped to serve. For example, DOD schools in Ramstein, Germany, are equipped to serve children with severe disabilities of any type, whereas schools in some other overseas installations have no pre-established special education programs of any kind.
Overseas assignment of servicemembers with children with special educational needs requires coordination between the military branches through their Exceptional Family Member (EFM) programs and the DOD Education Activity--the office that oversees education of military dependent children in DOD schools. Each branch implements its own processes for screening military families and assigning servicemembers to locations where there are school services that can meet their families' needs. However, impediments to effective placements may strain school resources. More specifically, ineffective screenings may result in families being placed in locations where schools are not readily equipped to serve certain needs. For example, we found one case in which a school that only had programs in place for students with mild disabilities received a student with severe needs who had not been educationally screened.
Families in many of GAO's focus groups were generally satisfied with the services DOD provided their children with special needs once they received them, but they felt that the limited availability of special education and medical specialists overseas presented challenges. Some parents were concerned their children were not receiving all the services they needed, partly due to difficulties DOD schools encounter hiring and retaining special education staff, especially overseas. While the military branches provide family support services, parents in our focus groups also indicated they lacked information about obtaining special education and related medical services. DOD is taking some steps to provide better information to families, but the extent to which these efforts are helping them is unclear.
DOD's recently established Office of Special Needs (OSN) is responsible for enhancing and monitoring support for military families with special needs. OSN and the military branches have initiated efforts to improve screening and overseas assignment of military families with special needs. However, it is unclear when some of these efforts will be completed. Moreover, while OSN was established in part to enhance and monitor the military branches' support for families with special needs, it has limited enforcement authority and oversight over the branches' EFM programs. Specifically, it is limited in the extent to which it can compel the branches to comply with DOD or service-level program requirements, and it has no direct means by which to hold them accountable if they fail to do so. In addition, DOD currently lacks agencywide benchmarks and performance goals for all components of the EFM program. As a result, it cannot assess the effectiveness of the branches' EFM programs and ensure that improvements are made when needed. Without overall performance information to proactively identify emerging problem areas, some of the branches have had to conduct investigations to address problems after they have arisen.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense (1) ensure the military branches medically and educationally screen all school-age children before relocation overseas; (2) direct OSN to establish benchmarks and performance goals for the EFM program; and (3) direct OSN to develop and implement a process for ensuring the branches' compliance with EFM program requirements. DOD generally agreed with the recommendations.