Federal Legislation & News
in Special Education
Why emotional disturbance is a double-edged sword for students
NPR
Before Walter even reached kindergarten, his teachers were kicking him out of class. “ I kind of noticed that he was like really aggressive,” his mom, Crystal Deramus, remembered. “Like, instead of him expressing himself, he throws things, he throws tantrums, he bites, he scratches … and the school started noticing too, and it just got worse.” At home in Minneapolis, life was turbulent. Walter’s father beat his mother and was in and out of jail before Walter even started school. Then, when Walter was just 5, Deramus was in a car wreck that left her in a wheelchair with paraplegia. She said that by kindergarten, Walter had gotten even wilder; he would run away from school whenever he got the chance. So she was relieved when his therapeutic day care recommended that he go to a high-security public school that locked its doors. Walter was sent to River Bend Education Center, a public school for students labeled EBD, which stands for emotional or behavioral disorders.
For kids with disabilities, early intervention boosts academics later
Disability Scoop
Accessing early intervention services like speech, occupational, physical or behavioral therapy in the first years of life can lead to more than developmental gains, new research suggests. Children who receive early intervention by age 3 score better in English language arts and are more likely to meet academic standards in math and English in third grade, according to a first-of-its-kind study published in the journal JAMA Network Open. For the study, researchers looked at public health and education records for more than 214,000 kids born in New York City between 1994 and 1998. They compared standardized test scores from third grade for the roughly 13,000 children who received early intervention to the others who did not. Accessing early intervention services like speech, occupational, physical or behavioral therapy in the first years of life can lead to more than developmental gains, new research suggests.
Among children who had special education services at school, those who received early intervention as youngsters were 28% more likely to meet grade level standards in third grade for English language arts and 17% more likely to meet that benchmark in math.
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Study: Catholic schools vary widely on inclusion of students with disabilities
The Pillar
A new survey from the National Catholic Partnership on Disability found that Catholic school systems in the U.S. vary widely in their practices of including students with disabilities.
Many Catholic school leaders voiced a desire for their diocesan schools to be inclusive, the NCPD said, but oftentimes a lack of funding, resources, and training has made it difficult to implement this desire effectively. The report, shared with The Pillar this week, included recommendations for dioceses and schools seeking to more effectively serve students with special needs. The recommendations include clear guidance and policies from diocesan offices, increased opportunities for teacher training, and implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), a proactive framework for classroom education and support.
The NCPD released results of recent surveys, conducted in 2024-2025, asking Catholic school principals and superintendents about their practices regarding students with special needs. About 55% of the superintendents who participated in the survey said their diocese has an expectation, in policy or mission statement, that schools are inclusive of students with any disability.
Federal funds for schools will still flow through Ed. Dept. system—For now
Education Week
Despite ongoing efforts to transition federal education programs to other agencies, billions of federal dollars for K-12 schools will continue to flow through the U.S. Department of Education’s grant portal this summer, the nation’s top K-12 official told states last week. Programs like Title I aid for disadvantaged students and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for special education allocate funds for school districts, but by law the money flows first to states in two batches: one on July 1 and another three months later.
Kirsten Baesler, the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education, told state education chiefs on April 17 that the department is responding to “concerns regarding the July 1 formula grant timeline” for this year by sending those funds through the traditional channel, rather than moving the funds through the U.S. Department of Labor, where most federal K-12 programs are shifting.
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Special education doesn’t just work—it reverses academic decline
Fordham Institute
Approximately 7.5 million U.S. students receive special education services in public schools—more than one in seven pupils nationwide. Its services cost roughly twice as much per pupil as general education and account for about one-third of federal appropriations for elementary and secondary education. Despite its scale, there has long been uncertainty about special education’s causal impact on student outcomes due to selection bias and methodological challenges. A new working paper from Boston University’s Wheelock Center (2026) helps fill this gap by applying rigorous causal methods to longitudinal administrative data to examine the impact of special education classification on student learning and educational progress.
The study revealed several notable findings. Most importantly, across all three states, students’ achievement trajectories declined prior to special education classification and rose sharply after they began receiving special education services. Taken together, this pattern suggests that special education services do not merely support students at a fixed level of performance, but instead help reverse ongoing academic decline. Additionally, student gains did not occur all at once but increased over multiple years. This gradual pattern was consistent with sustained improvements in underlying skill development rather than short-term test score gains. The findings indicate that special education enhances the productivity of instruction over time, not just short-term performance.
Senators Introduce Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act
Led by Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI), 28 Democrats have signed onto the Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act –a bill that would repeal the portion of HR 1 that allows tax credits for contributions to scholarship granting organizations and the associated income exclusion from federal tax. In announcing the bill, Senator Kelly cited his own state as a cautionary tale, explaining that voucher initiatives harm budgets and only benefit certain families. According to Sen. Kelly and public reports, the state-funded Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account used $10 million on banned purchases that included gift cards and luxury hotel stays; and the program has led to declining public-school enrollment and school closures. 163 national and state organizations have endorsed the Senate bill.
Take Action: Tell Your Governor to Protect Students with Disabilities Under the New Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program
Governors are making decisions about the Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program under HB1, and your voice is needed. Whether your state has already opted in or has not yet made a decision, you can send a letter urging your governor to protect students with disabilities and ensure strong accountability.
- If your state has opted in, urge your governor to add protections for students with disabilities and require accountability from participating private schools:
Take action - These states have opted into the program as of early 2026:
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming
- If your state has NOT opted in, tell your governor to oppose the program and protect public schools and students’ civil rights:
Take action - The following states have not accepted the Federal Tax Credit Program as of early 2026:
Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin
Your advocacy makes a difference.
DOJ Extends Deadlines for Compliance with ADA Accessibility Regulations
On Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formally noticed its decision to revise the regulations implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to extend the compliance dates for the requirements for web content and mobile application accessibility that were adopted in April 2024. The compliance date for State and local government entities with a total population of 50,000 or more is extended from April 24, 2026, to April 26, 2027. The compliance date for public entities with a total population of less than 50,000, or any special district government, is extended from April 26, 2027, to April 26, 2028. The change is final and will impact the implementation and roll-out of accessibility features for public K-16 websites and mobile applications that students and families use. While the dates are final, DOJ is seeking “post-publication comments” which must be submitted by June 22, 2026. In its rationale, DOJ noted, “Because of circumstances outside of the Department’s and covered entities’ control, both in covered entities’ resources and the availability of technology, the Department believes those deadlines are infeasible and unfair to covered entities. Upon these new observations, the Department again strikes a balance between covered entities’ burdens and ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities and believes an extension is appropriate.” COPAA, along with disability partners, has opposed the deadline which extends compliance for public entities to 3 and 4 years, respectively. COPAA is also concerned that DOJ noted its intent to “…engage in future rulemaking processes related to the substantive requirements of the 2024 [Title II Accessibility] final rule…and will consider issuing a Notice for public comment.”
Inside Trump’s 3.5% budget boost for special education
K-12 Dive
The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal to Congress touts a “historic investment” into federally funded special education programs, including increased flexibility for states to make funding decisions and a renewed effort to reduce paperwork burdens for special educators and administrators. Despite the proposed $539 million increase over FY 2026, special education administrative organizations and disability rights advocacy groups say the federal spending plan zero-funds and consolidates several programs for FY 2027, similar to the administration’s FY 26 proposal. Those changes would make states less accountable for provisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and would erode the services and supports that students, families, and special educators rely on, they say.
Education Department’s dismantling
The Hill
Another office within the Department of Education is on the chopping block after a year of efforts to dismantle the federal agency, pushing the hope of restoring certain programs further out of reach for opponents. The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), which used to support English language learners, is the latest of dozens of programs that have been dismantled or relocated by the Education Department to fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise to shut down the agency. While opponents have not lost hope that the department can be rebuilt, the task grows more difficult by the day, with programs shuttered, thousands of employees fired, and some initiatives transferred to entirely different federal agencies.
Schools are supposed to limit using restraint and seclusion to discipline kids – but parents I spoke with say the practice is wildly misused
The Conversation
“Jessica,” the adoptive mother of a third-grade student, was shocked when she discovered that her daughter had spent over 100 hours locked in a room alone at her North Carolina public school. School staff locked the child in a room by herself after she flipped markers in the air, lay on the floor, and tilted her chair back, Jessica told me in 2024. Jessica’s daughter has a nonverbal learning disability, mild attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and bipolar disorder.
Jessica’s situation is one of dozens that I document in my 2026 book, “No Restraint: Disabled Children and Institutionalized Violence in America’s Schools.” This book is part of my research on how families of children with disabilities navigate public schools that use restraint and seclusion to discipline students.
The digital accessibility deadline is here. Schools aren’t ready.
EdSurge News
A major civil rights deadline affecting schools and vendors will hit this month. Federal law has required accessibility for people with disabilities for decades, says Glenda Sims, chief information accessibility officer at Deque Systems, a company that specializes in digital accessibility. But two years ago, the federal government finally gave schools a way to measure whether their websites, mobile apps, and digital content were accessible under law when it released a “final rule.”
On April 24, the first deadline will hit. By then, institutions must ensure their web content and mobile apps comply with Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, a widely recognized accessibility standard that includes requirements such as a minimum contrast ratio and audio descriptions. But with the well-advertised deadline just days away, schools are well behind schedule.
Federal investigation opened into New Home ISD special education program
KCBD
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the New Home Independent School District based on reports that the district discontinued a special education classroom and failed to provide notice before placing students in a classroom approximately 30 miles away. The investigation will determine whether the district violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating on the basis of disability.
The real story behind the rise in disability accommodations
Syracuse University Today
An increase in accommodations is a natural consequence of the increased presence of students with disabilities in higher education. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines disability broadly, and without knowing more about each individual’s approved accommodation, it is difficult, if not improper, to conclude that any increase is suspicious.
Chairman Cassidy to Host Roundtable on Child Literacy and Students with Dyslexia
On Wednesday, April 15, 10:00 a.m. ET U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, will host a livestream roundtable focused on supporting students with dyslexia. Chairman Cassidy has indicated the roundtable is linked to his longstanding efforts to improve child literacy rates. Regarding the roundtable, Senator Cassidy has also introduced the 21st Century Dyslexia Act, which COPAA opposes.