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W A S H I N G T O N, June 16 —

WASHINGTON (AP) One in six parents of disabled children has considered suing or has threatened to sue the child's school district to get services, a poll shows.

The poll, being released Monday by the advocacy group Public Agenda, suggests parents feel that while teachers care and school personnel are qualified to deal with disabilities, school systems don't offer special help to children unless families insist.

Ann Duffett, an author of the study, said parents have a different perspective from policy-makers.

"They're thinking about their own child," Duffett said. "They're not thinking about all the other things that have to be weighed."

The findings could affect negotiations in Congress over rules for special education programs, due to be considered later this year.

The poll of 510 parents of special education students found 84 percent said their child's teachers "really care about him/her as a person," while 69 percent said teachers know a lot about their child's disability and how to work with it.

But 55 percent said parents must work to find out what help is available, and 16 percent about one in six said they have considered suing or have threatened to sue a school district over an issue related to a child's education. Another 35 percent found it frustrating to get their children the education services they need.

Many parents also worry that special education children aren't being prepared for real-life situations. Among parents of high school-aged children, 45 percent said the school program "is failing or needs improvement" when it comes to preparing children for the real world.

More than two-thirds of parents also appeared to support President Bush's contention that fewer students would be in special education programs if they had gotten help in basics earlier in school.

Special education programs serve a variety of students whose disabilities can include mental retardation, blindness, hearing impairments, emotional disturbances, dyslexia, autism or other conditions.

Congress is preparing to rewrite regulations on special education.

Most Democrats and a few Republicans are seeking millions more in federal money for schools to serve disabled students and a congressional commitment to make yearly increases in special education. They say the government has met less than half of its commitment to give states 40 percent of the money they need to help students with a range of disabilities.

Republicans and the Bush administration have blocked the efforts. They contend states and schools must fix the current system before Congress substantially increases financing.

The random telephone survey was conducted April 12-May 11. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Survey: Public Agenda: http://www.publicagenda.org

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