Federal Legislation & News
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These blind students say their college blocked their education. A new rule could help
NPR Miranda Lacy and Harold Rogers became fast friends during their undergraduate years. They both shared their dreams with one another: Rogers wanted to use his education to become a psychotherapist, and Lacy wanted to become a social worker. So, they were delighted...
CT: Blue Room: Restraining and secluding the state’s most vulnerable students
Inside Investigator On May 20, 2024, teachers and administrators at Hazardville Memorial School in Enfield called the police on a five-year-old in kindergarten. The call to 911 was placed at 9:57 am. By that time, teachers and special education instructors had been...
LA: Judge ends federal oversight of special education in New Orleans schools
Louisiana Illuminator More than a decade of federal oversight of special education in New Orleans charter schools has ended, following a March 31 decision by U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey to terminate a sweeping consent judgment, which went into effect in early 2015....
LA: Some charter schools are pooling their resources to improve special education
WWNO After years of planning, New Orleans' school district is bringing its independent charter schools together to share funds and centralize some services. About a dozen are participating this school year. Charters can join the district's educational service...
NH: Advocates worry universal open enrollment will exclude students with disabilities
The Keene Sentinel In Wisconsin, school districts last year rejected open-enrollment applications from students with disabilities at twice the rate of those from other students. In Nebraska, dozens of school districts exclusively denied applications to students with...
TN: Tennessee says too many Memphis students with disabilities are taking modified state tests
Chalkbeat Tennessee education leaders say too many Memphis-Shelby County students with disabilities are being opted out of taking state standardized tests each year, stripping them of the ability to earn traditional high school diplomas. Disability advocates caution...
DC: DC Schools discriminated against students with disabilities, OCR finds
The 74 The District of Columbia Public Schools violated the civil rights of students with disabilities and created an “adversarial system,” that often forces families to sue in order for their kids to receive services, the U.S. Department of Education announced...
LA: LA GATOR serves many poor students, few with disabilities
nola.com Nearly all of the students who participated in Louisiana’s new private choice program come from low-income families, but just 4% have diagnosed disabilities, according to state data. Note: Requires subscription.
MI: Advocates want more resources to boost inclusion of special education students
Spartan Newsroom Michigan spends about $2.8 billion annually on special education, yet outcomes for students with disabilities remain uneven and among the lowest in the nation, according to a recent benchmark report from the Autism Alliance of Michigan. Advocates say...
NC: Wake school board to meet over $18 million special education cut
Durham Herald Sun Wake County school board chair Tyler Swanson has scheduled a special board meeting on Tuesday to discuss a controversial proposed $18 million cut to the special education budget. This week, school administrators announced the cut, which will result...
