MO: Missouri Board of Education votes to close 12 schools for disabled students. One is in Lee’s Summit

by kids1stadvocac | Aug 19, 2025 | State

KCUR – Kansas City news and NPR Missouri is the only state that still operates separate day schools for special education. But the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled are struggling with declining enrollment, with 36% fewer students over the past 16...

MT: State settles, agrees disabled students can stay in schools until 22

by kids1stadvocac | Aug 19, 2025 | State

Admitting Montana is out of step with other states and facing the threat of a class-action lawsuit, Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen and the State of Montana have come to an agreement in federal court to allow those with disabilities to stay...

Chairman Cassidy Releases Vision for K-12 Education, Highlights Need for Dyslexia Screening, Early Intervention

by kids1stadvocac | Aug 19, 2025 | Federal

In early August, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released Preventing a Lost Generation: A Vision for K-12 Reforms to Ensure Student Success. The report provides recommendations to solve what...

EdTrust Issues Principles to Advance Equity in State Literacy

by kids1stadvocac | Aug 19, 2025 | Federal

EdTrust has published a thirty-page policy report titled 6 Principles to Advance Equity in State Literacy Policy. The report emphasizes that literacy is a fundamental civil right and a gateway to educational success, economic opportunity, and civic engagement. EdTrust...

MA: Payano-led law keeps immigrant, disabled student protections in the event of fed changes

by kids1stadvocac | Aug 12, 2025 | ICE in Schools, State

Wavelengths A new law, championed by Sen. Pavel M. Payano, guaranteeing public education for immigrant and disabled students in the state, was signed by Gov. Maura Healey last Wednesday. Payano said the bill he sponsored in the Senate with Sen. Sal DiDomenico cements...