Federal grants to train teachers in disability-inclusive arts education

What it does

This bill authorizes the Department of Education to award competitive grants (up to $15 million over five years) to schools, school districts, and nonprofits to train arts educators and creative arts therapists in how to include and accommodate children with disabilities in arts education. Grants fund professional development, curriculum design, and therapeutic approaches that improve access to arts for disabled students.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is a competitive grant program for professional development and curriculum innovation in arts education for students with disabilities. It is a straightforward public-education investment with no hidden provisions or narrow beneficiaries.

What the text implies

• Grant prioritization for Title I schools (high-poverty districts) may concentrate benefits in under-resourced areas, potentially widening disparities if rural or tribal schools face lower application capacity.
• Requirement that creative arts therapists be licensed/certified may exclude some practitioners in states with less developed credentialing frameworks, limiting program reach in rural areas.
• Three-year grant period with one-time two-year renewal (max five years total) may create instability for programs that build momentum; schools may struggle to sustain practices after federal funding ends.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Children with disabilities and their families gain expanded access to arts education and creative therapies, which research shows improve academic outcomes, communication, and social-emotional development. Schools and educators receive professional development to implement inclusive practices, benefiting all students.

Who stands to gain

• schools and school districts (grant recipients)
• nonprofits with arts/disability expertise (grant recipients and partners)
• institutions of higher education (potential partners in grant consortia)

Named in the bill

Department of Education, Secretary of Education, local educational agencies, State educational agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, creative arts therapists, children with disabilities

Where it stands

18 cosponsors: 18 Democrats.

• Jun 9, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 9, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 6 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $60,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 14 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

David Scott, the sponsor, reported $287,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Symphony Orchestra League - Dba League of American Orchestras — $20,000 on 2 filings
• National Association for Music Education — $20,000 on 2 filings
• Opera America — $20,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.