Ohio special education advocates fear recent changes to the U.S. Department of Education will cause confusion, delays and a loss of service to students. The special education office is responsible for making sure states follow the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that ensures students with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education. “For special education in Ohio, it means the process of children with disabilities getting their needs met just got significantly more complicated,” Marks said. About 14% of Ohio students receive special education services, said Jennifer Webb, past president for the Council for Exceptional Children’s Ohio chapter. “The Department of Education has, for decades, been in charge of special education, and all of a sudden they just carve special education out, send it to Health and Human Services, and they’re not qualified to handle that programming,” she said.