Federal Legislation & News
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DE: Delaware Dept. of Ed settles discrimination lawsuit involving incarcerated students with disabilities
Delaware Public Media The Delaware Department of Education settled a federal lawsuit alleging incarcerated students with disabilities weren’t provided required services. The U.S. District Court approved a consent decree requiring Delaware’s Ed. Department to implement...
MI: Lawsuit, investigation target Mississippi’s special education failures
SPLC E.J. and her mother are plaintiffs in a 2024 Southern Poverty Law Center lawsuit, Jamison et al. v. Greenville Public School District, and the other children are at the center of an ongoing SPLC investigation into the state’s longstanding practice of...
MT: Montana court blocks education savings accounts for students with special needs
Montana Free Press A district court judge on Monday blocked Montana’s education savings account program for students with disabilities, ruling in favor of two Montana nonprofits that claimed that lawmakers did not fund the program when they created it. House Bill 393,...
WI: Dems propose bill to restore Wisconsin special education funding rates
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin public school districts would receive the full special education reimbursement rate lawmakers pledged in the state budget under a new bill from Democratic legislators. The proposal comes after school districts learned they will...
COPAA Applauds Bipartisan Introduction of the Keeping All Students Safe Act
In response to the introduction of the Keeping All Students Safe Act H.R. 6617/S. 3448 (KASSA) in the U.S. Congress, COPAA CEO Denise Marshall issued a statement endorsing the bill and reiterating COPAA’s deep commitment to ensuring that “no child is subjected to...
Thirty-Five Senators Call for ED Oversight Hearing
Led by Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), all Senate Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee submitted a letter to Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Thursday calling for an immediate oversight hearing with Education Secretary Linda...
National Academy, TBI Must be Considered a Long-Term Health Condition
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released Examining Traumatic Brain Injury as a Chronic Condition, a readout and report on data demonstrating why traumatic brain injury (TBI) should be considered a long-term health condition. NASEM...
Belonging by design: A Conversation with Max on the promise of IDEA
AASA This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a landmark commitment that ensures every student, regardless of ability, has the right to learn, participate, and belong in public education. At Margaretville...
Parents, advocates rally around special education for 50th anniversary of landmark law
WUNC It’s been 50 years since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law, and the milestone comes at a time when parents and activists are concerned about funding cuts for services. Rallies were planned outside multiple congressional...
Ed Department recalls staffers who handle complaints from students with disabilities
Disability Scoop The U.S. Department of Education is bringing back hundreds of staffers to tackle a backlog of civil rights cases — including complaints of disability discrimination in schools — after keeping them on administrative leave for most of the year. More...