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CA: L.A.’s special education parents constantly advocate — and students still feel unsafe at school, survey finds
EdSource When Tania Rivera’s son with autism ran out of school and into the street, no one noticed he was gone. Not the teacher or any school official. Rivera said she found out from another parent who saw him. “It wasn’t safe for him, and I was in shock. Believe me,...
GA: Georgia mom questions 8-year-old’s suspension over a LEGO creation that resembled a gun
kvue.com A woman in Georgia is questioning her son’s three-day suspension after school officials said the 8-year-old brought a small LEGO creation resembling a gun to class, sparking debate over zero-tolerance discipline policies for young students. “This is...
MD: Young students with disabilities are getting derailed from a diploma
The Banner Kristi Maeng felt crushed when Montgomery County Public Schools staff said they wanted to put her son JoJo on an academic trajectory that rarely leads to a diploma — especially because he was just starting elementary school. JoJo, who has Down syndrome,...
MA: Two years after special education report, parents say there’s more work ahead
The Belmont Voice When her daughter Ruby started school, Andrea Campbell saw right away that Ruby struggled to keep pace with her classmates in reading, spelling, and math. “Even in preschool, it was very clear to me that she was going to have a learning disability,”...
NY: Special education gap: NYC private school tuition payments flow mostly to white students
Chalkbeat As Mayor Zohran Mamdani scrambles to plug a multi-billion-dollar budget gap, his administration is looking more closely at the money New York City spends on private school tuition for students with disabilities. The payments — which topped $723 million last...
NJ: Paterson plans to devote a school to students with disabilities
NorthJersey.com City education officials are planning to convert Dale Avenue School into a program for 118 children with multiple disabilities and autism, which they said will save the district $9.8 million in the coming school year. The district currently has 100...
PA: Shapiro Administration Gives Ten Schools Funding to Teach Students about Disabilities
Department of Education | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania The Shapiro Administration today announced that it is giving 10 schools funding to join a pilot program designed to teach K-12 students about the political, economic, and social contributions of individuals with...
TN: TN parents of kids with disabilities ‘blindsided’ by voucher changes
The Tennessean Malia Curtis confidently took the microphone as she addressed the Wilson County Schools board on May 4. The 20-year-old scooted her wheelchair closer to the board members before talking about how school vouchers through Tennessee's Individualized...
Secretary McMahon to Testify on Department of Education Budget in the House
On Thursday, at 10:15 a.m. ET, the Committee on Education and Workforce, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), has announced it will hold a hearing titled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is...
COPAA Releases New Fact Sheet on the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
COPAA has released a new LRE Fact Sheet to protect and advance the civil rights of students with disabilities at a moment when those rights are increasingly under threat. The right to learn alongside nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate is a cornerstone...