Summary: Congress created the Department of Defense (DOD) Dependents Schools in 1978 to provide a free public education for dependents of military personnel serving abroad. DOD Dependents Schools are required to provide special education to all eligible students as required by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Members of Congress have raised concern that DOD Dependents Schools are spending excessive amounts to educate special education students who live in areas overseas that lack a school that can meet their needs. This report discusses (1) the amount of money the schools spend on their special education programs, (2) the number of special education students who live in areas lacking a DOD Dependents School with the resources to meet the students' needs and the cost to meet their needs another way, and (3) the number of special education students who are sent to schools outside the DOD Dependents School system because no DOD Dependents School is nearby to meet their needs and the cost to do so.
