Special Education
Laws & News
Across the States
AZ: Voters could have say on reforms for controversial ESA program
ABC15
Several education groups and advocates have come together through a coalition and filed a petition to put reforms on the state’s controversial Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, or ESA. ESA advocates say these reforms are unnecessary, feeling like the program is already transparent and accountable. Since the program became universal in 2022, criticisms have followed, some saying that the program is unaccounted for and is ripe with fraud. Several
CA: How the governor’s budget proposal addresses rising numbers of students in special education
EdSource
Student enrollment has been declining in the McFarland Unified School District, so Superintendent Aaron Resendez was surprised to start this school year with an uptick in students who require special education services. The 3,282-student district in rural Kern County needed to act quickly to meet the needs of these students. Resendez said the district scrambled to find two teachers, paraprofessionals, and accessible classrooms for students with moderate to severe needs. “We had far more students with special needs enroll at the lower grade levels than we anticipated,” said Resendez. “We ended up adding two more classes.”
What’s happening in McFarland Unified is happening in districts across the state. Even as enrollment declines in California, an increasing number of students are qualifying for special education services. Educators and researchers chalk up the increase in students requiring special education services to several factors: improved identification because of advocacy and reduced stigma, a rise in the number of students with emotional or behavioral disabilities, and pandemic disruptions that may have delayed early interventions.
FL: Cameras in special education classrooms move ahead
News From The States
Special education rooms could feature cameras watching over students if Florida lawmakers keep up support for a bipartisan bill. The legislation seeks to provide an objective eye in situations in which students, particularly those who are nonverbal, might be abused or mistreated. The House bill, HB 859, sponsored by Reps. Chase Tramont, a Republican from Port Orange, and Kevin Chambliss, a Democrat from Homestead, passed its first committee last week and second committee on Wednesday. It has one committee to go before landing before the full House.
The Senate bill, SB 1170, is sponsored by Sen. Alexis Calatayud, a Republican from Miami. The Senate version was approved by the first of three committees on Tuesday. The legislation would let parents ask principals to install video cameras in classrooms in which a majority of the students are receiving special education services.
GA: Georgia seeing a surge in special education complaints
Atlanta News First
A growing number of Georgia parents allege their school districts are violating the law by failing to provide required special education services, according to an Atlanta News First investigation. Georgia Department of Education records show formal complaints against school districts have more than doubled in recent years, from 156 in 2021 to 318 last year. In fiscal year 2025, the state found districts were out of compliance 190 times. The surge in complaints reflects several concerning trends identified by the Georgia Department of Education’s dispute resolution division. A 2025 presentation produced by the division showed more complaints are being filed by current school staff; more complaints are being filed in districts that historically had few complaints; and more complaints involve multiple students, indicating systemic issues.
The most common violations found in fiscal year 2025 involved the provision of a free appropriate public education; implementation of individualized education programs; and development, review, and revision of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
ID: As Legislature mulls Medicaid cuts, parents and providers face uncertainty
Idaho News
Parents of children with disabilities are concerned and wondering what will happen to their kids as the Legislature mulls Gov. Brad Little’s recommendation to cut $22 million in Medicaid spending. Angela Lindig, executive director of the nonprofit Idaho Parents Unlimited, said she’s been fielding calls from parents of young children who rely on school-based Medicaid services and from parents of adult children who wonder what will happen when they can no longer care for their dependent children. “Our families are concerned,” Lindig told EdNews Monday. “They are worried about the services that their children may not receive. They’re worried about their child’s Medicaid being cut. They’re worried about them not receiving services in school. They’re worried about their kids’ future.”
LA: St. Tammany illegally shortened school days for student with disabilities, lawsuit claims
Verite News New Orleans
The family of a special needs student in St. Tammany Parish has filed a federal lawsuit against the parish school board and the school district’s superintendent, Frank Jabbia, saying that the district inappropriately shortened the child’s school days to two hours, depriving him of more than two-thirds of instructional time during the 2024-2025 school year compared to other students. The lawsuit alleges that the decision prevented the child — who for months spent his shortened school days in a specialty classroom isolated from other students — from access to equal education, violating longstanding federal special education laws.
NM: Bill refining allowable restraint and seclusion practices in schools advances out of House committee
Yahoo News
Members of the House Education Committee on Monday advanced a bill that would refine definitions of allowable physical discipline practices in public schools, limit those practices, and require expanded training for K-12 school personnel. House Bill 120, co-sponsored by Rep. Yanira Gurrola (D-Albuquerque), would amend the Public School Code by clarifying what restraint and seclusion are — used when students show dangerous or threatening behavior — and what actions are prohibited. The bill also requests school boards create plans for managing disruptive behavior so school personnel have guides when situations arise, and requires personnel be trained in de-escalation and restraint techniques twice a year. The bill advanced by a 7-5 vote.
SC: S.C. legislation proposes cameras in special education classrooms
wrdr
State legislative leaders are considering a bill that would mandate cameras in special education classrooms in public schools. The proposed legislation comes after incidents involving vulnerable students, including a case where 9-year-old Kadence, who has autism, was allegedly dragged across a classroom by her wrists, according to a police report. Her mother, Tanya Lord, of Aiken, learned about the incident through a third party and immediately took action.
TN: TN kids with disabilities face a complicated justice system
The Tennessean
Savannah Coffman spent the chaotic hours after her son’s arrest trying desperately to get to him. That morning, her then-15-year-old son, who has autism, posted on his private Snapchat account about a rumored widespread threat against schools. “Stay safe, y’all,” he wrote.
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TX: Extra voucher funds for students with disabilities requires public school psychologist assessment
KSAT
Time is running out to gather the necessary documentation for students with disabilities to receive the extra benefits entitled through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program. Families of students with disabilities could receive up to an additional $30,000, but only if they have completed a recent Individualized Education Program (IEP). “It has to be within the last three years, it has to be from Texas, and it has to explain what services, what needs the child has,” said Inga Cotton, the Executive Director of the nonprofit School Discovery Network. The catch: Cotton said only public school psychologists from the school district where a student is zoned can perform an IEP assessment, even if they don’t attend public school. With such a short window, Cotton said an additional burden will be placed on public school psychologists who are already short-staffed to perform a lengthy process.