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Education Department defends controversial special education shakeup
K-12 Dive U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, during a keynote address on Tuesday, emphasized the federal government’s obligation to enforce protections for students with disabilities, while touting the Trump administration’s efforts to give states, districts and...
AZ: Displacement of students, school evaluations violate federal law, Arizona Education Agency say
US News The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind violated federal disability law last spring when it restricted placement options for students and predetermined where they should attend, the Arizona State Department of Education says. As it prepared to...
GA: Georgia first-grader with autism suspended over sandwich incident sparks special education debate
Cleveland.com A Georgia family says its 6-year-old son with autism was suspended from school after biting his sandwich into the shape of a gun and pretending to point it at another student during lunch, an incident the parents argue reflects a broader pattern of...
IA: ACLU of Iowa urges schools to get rid of School Resource Officer programs
CBS2 Iowa A new report from the ACLU of Iowa says federal data shows Black students and students with disabilities are disproportionately referred to law enforcement and arrested in Iowa schools. The ACLU said about one-quarter of Iowa schools have a school resource...
NC: Funding model for students with disabilities leaves some N.C. schools scrambling
Border Belt Independent Bladen County school officials said in January the district would need an additional $1 million to educate students with disabilities last school year. Cheryl White-Smith, the district’s inclusive education director, told school board members...
NJ: Mom advocating for special ed kids was arrested at N.J. meeting — then the city backed down
Yahoo News A Jersey City mother who was escorted from a school board meeting in handcuffs and charged with defiant trespass was cleared of wrongdoing in court earlier this week. Jersey City Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Jackson dismissed the charge against the parent,...
PA: PPS spent $1.4M settling special education disputes over 5 years
Pittsburgh's Public Source PPS has spent nearly $1.4 million over the past five years on settlements and parents’ legal fees in special education disputes, according to data obtained by Public Source through a Right-to-Know Law request. That figure excludes fees paid...
NY: How NYC is fixing its patchwork response to students who struggle to attend school
Chalkbeat New York City’s Education Department is changing how it responds to students who are chronically absent due to school avoidance, according to an agreement officials signed last week with the legal team that filed a class-action lawsuit over the issue. School...
UT: Lawsuit prompts changes to Alpine School District’s special education program after abuse
2KUTV The parents of a special needs student who was abused by a school bus driver say their lawsuit against the Alpine School District was never about financial compensation. Instead, they wanted to bring lasting changes to how the district serves students with...
TX: In ‘limbo’: North Texas family’s legal battle with school district could affect special ed statewide
KERA News Shannon Harriman is careful when he talks about his son, Kelton Lightfoot. Harriman describes his son as a funny 17-year-old who wants to get a job, learn how to drive and spend time with the family’s gentle black labrador retriever, Hudson. For all of his...
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