Chalkbeat

Before Colorado state lawmakers finished their yearly business this week, they took steps to ensure public schools would be better funded in the future. Colorado public schools will be required to screen students in kindergarten through third grade for dyslexia starting in the 2027-28 school year, per Senate Bill 200. The start date is a year later than advocates for children with dyslexia wanted, but represents a big win after a years-long battle for statewide screening. House Bill 1248 moves the existing laws about restraint and seclusion in public schools from the section of Colorado law that deals with youth detention facilities to the section that deals with education. It also shores up data reporting about the use of such practices in public schools and closes a loophole that has created a dearth of information about seclusion. A bill to ban seclusion was rejected by lawmakers for the second year in a row, however.