A view of Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo from White House Office of Management and Budget

The Bureau of Indian Education will hold a meeting of the Advisory Board for Exceptional Children in Washington, D.C., next month.

Congress created the board through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. It consists of educators, parents, tribal leaders and experts who advise the BIE on how to meet the needs of Indian children with disabilities, who represent about 13 percent of the student population.

"The BIE education system currently serves approximately 49,000 elementary and secondary students, with approximately 6,400 students with disabilities," the board's most recent annual report stated.

The board consists of 15 members, whose terms run for three years. Since January, the terms of six members have expired and the BIE requested nominations that month.

There likely won't be much turnover, however. According to the minutes of the board's last meeting in March in Albuquerque, New Mexico, only one of outgoing members chose not to reapply.

The upcoming meeting will take place September 17-18 at 1951 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 303-304, in Washington, D.C. The public will be able to comment via conference call from 1:30pm to 2:30pm on September 18. Details can be found in a notice published today in the Federal Register.

Federal Register Notices:
Advisory Board for Exceptional Children (August 17, 2015)
Advisory Board for Exceptional Children Meeting (January 15, 2015)
Request for Nominations of Members To Serve on the Bureau of Indian Education Advisory Board for Exceptional Children (January 14, 2015)