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Parents sue Ed. Dept. over Civil Rights Office layoffs and delays
Education Week Parents whose discrimination complaints have gone unresolved and have been further delayed are suing the U.S. Department of Education over its mass layoffs, which cut deeply into the agency’s civil rights investigation arm. The lawsuit—filed in federal...
Will U.S. Education Department staff cuts limit options for kids with disabilities?
The Dallas Morning News For parents of kids with disabilities, advocating for their child can be complicated, time-consuming — and expensive. Changes at the U.S. Education Department are likely to make the process even more difficult, advocates for kids with...
States sue over 504 plan law protecting disabled students: What to know
USA Today In a recent joint status report, the Republican state attorneys general, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clarified they don't want to see the law entirely overturned or declared unconstitutional "on its...
Students with disabilities struggle to get an education that meets their needs
NPR Students with disabilities have a legal right to a public education that meets their needs. It's an issue so important to families that U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon vowed at her confirmation hearings to preserve that right and the funding that comes with...
Department of Education cuts expected to have ‘huge impacts’ on teachers
KNEB-AM 960 AM Following the Department of Education’s gutting of nearly 50% of its workforce Tuesday evening, educators have expressed deep concern — not only for students’ futures but for their own as well. Tara Kini, chief of policy and programs at the Learning...
COPAA Files Amicus Brief in U.S. Supreme Court Urging the End of the Uniquely High Intent Standard in Disability Discrimination Claims Brought by Schoolchildren
Last week, COPAA and 11 other advocacy groups filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in the case A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, arguing that the Court should reverse the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in this case...
COPAA Files Amicus Brief in the Ninth Circuit Highlighting the Importance of the “Knew or Should Have Known” Standard in the IDEA’s Statute of Limitations
Last week, COPAA submitted an amicus brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit supporting the family of a child with dyslexia in T.M.J. v. Vallejo City Unified School District. COPAA’s brief urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse the decision of...
States AGs Issue Joint Guidance to Counter Federal Dear Colleague Letter on DEI
On March 5th, a coalition of attorneys general (AGs) from fifteen states issued Joint Guidance for higher education and K-12 institutions that clarifies the law regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Prompted by a recent Executive Order and a Dear...
Trump Education Secretary Confirmed Despite Special Ed Concerns
Disability Scoop The nation has a new Secretary of Education, and she’s angling to free her department from its special education obligations. The U.S. Senate voted 51 to 45 along party lines this week to confirm Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education. The...
DOGE education cuts hit students with disabilities, literacy research
Chalkbeat When teens and young adults with disabilities in California’s Poway Unified School District heard about a new opportunity to get extra help planning for life after high school, nearly every eligible student signed up. The program, known as Charting My Path...