A loan forgiveness of up to $17,500 is available for new special education

teachers. If you are interested in becoming a special education teacher, this loan forgiveness could be available to you. There is a vast shortage of special education teachers in schools throughout the nation. Job opportunities for special education teachers are plentiful in virtually every state, and in elementary, middle, and high schools. The HERA authorizes up to $17,500 in student loan forgiveness for certain

full-time secondary school teachers of mathematics or science who meet the "highly qualified" teacher definition under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). (See the enclosed application for a definition of a "highly qualified" teacher.) The HERA also authorizes up to $17,500 in student loan forgiveness for certain highly qualified full-time elementary and secondary school special education teachers whose primary responsibility is to provide special education to children with disabilities (as those terms are defined in Section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). To qualify, a special education teacher must be teaching children with disabilities that correspond to the teacher’s special education training and must have demonstrated knowledge and teaching skills in the content areas of the elementary or secondary school curriculum in which he or she is teaching.

In addition, teachers who do not teach in the specialties noted above and began teaching after October 30, 2004, may be eligible for up to $5,000 in student loan forgiveness, so long as they meet the "highly qualified" teacher definition under NCLB and the eligibility requirements set forth below. Teachers who began their teaching service prior to October 30, 2004, continue to qualify for up to $5,000 in student loan forgiveness and are not required to meet the "highly qualified" teacher definition.

To qualify, you must have been employed as a full-time teacher for five consecutive complete academic years in an elementary or secondary school that has been designated as a "low-income" school by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additionally: At least one of the five qualifying years of teaching must have occurred after the 1997-98 academic year; The loan must have been made before the end of the fifth year of qualifying teaching; The elementary or secondary school must be public or private nonprofit; A defaulted loan cannot be canceled for teacher service unless you've made satisfactory repayment arrangements with the holder of the loan.

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