Arizona Capitol Times

With empty desks and a heavy caseload at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, advocates for families with disabilities anticipate a pivot away from the federal route for discrimination complaint resolution. Instead, attorneys and a policy expert expect new attention to the state level complaint system and the statutory plan constructed to protect students with disabilities in the next legislative session.  “It is a very tough time to be a student with a disability in general,” Amanda Glass, education team managing attorney at Disability Rights Arizona, said. “Technically, you do still have protections. The laws still exist. But as we’ve discussed, your enforcement options are becoming more and more limited.”