Special Education
Laws & News
Across the States
More State Special Education News is available in the Archive.
CA: What LAUSD students with disabilities need to know about the ban on cellphones in class
LAist
There are at least 63,000 students with disabilities in the Los Angeles Unified School District. For these students, the district’s cellphone ban has implications beyond missing texts from friends or losing the option to scroll social media at lunch. Families told LAist their children’s phones help them control medical devices, cope with anxiety, and regulate their emotions. While students with disabilities can be exempted from the Los Angeles Unified cellphone ban, that requires families to assert their rights. Without an exemption, students can lose access to a valuable learning tool, and the policy may also put students in the awkward position of sticking out from their phone-less peers.
Denise Marshall is skeptical of cellphone bans. She said that they may be a barrier because families have to assert a right and go through the process rather than it being automatic. Marshall said families of students who want to ensure their child’s access to personal technology can call a meeting of their child’s IEP or 504 Plan team to discuss adding an accommodation that specifies how the device is used to benefit the student. But she’s also worried that students may feel too uncomfortable being the only ones in their class with access to a phone to use the device to their benefit.
NJ: Special education school bus safety bill clears NJ Senate
NorthJersey.com
Monday’s legislation, approved by a 39-0 vote, is sponsored by Sens. Kristin Corrado, a Passaic County Republican, and Patrick Diegnan, a Democrat from Middlesex County. It would create a panel of parents, educators, state officials, and advocates who will have one year to examine a system that disability groups say is failing New Jersey students and to come up with recommendations for improvements. “Today’s vote represents a big, important step forward in our effort to ensure the safety of students with disabilities. Among other things, this task force would provide a platform for a much-needed conversation about special education transportation — a conversation that should be student-centered and family-driven,” said Paul Aronsohn, the state’s ombudsman for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
TX: Proposed state bill would make it easier to suspend students
San Antonio Report
State lawmakers want to make it easier for schools to suspend younger students and students experiencing homelessness. House Bill 6, which is sponsored by nearly three-quarters of Republican representatives in the Texas House, greenlights the use of suspension for students below the third grade for conduct that results in “repeated or significant disruption in the classroom” or threatens the “immediate health and safety of other students.” The bill would limit the number of days students below the third grade can be suspended out of school to three days, but the length of in-school suspensions would be left for districts and schools to decide on. Under the bill, schools may also create online alternative schools for students with serious misconduct issues or send students to alternative disciplinary schools.
TX: Why North Texas educators fear vouchers could weaken special education resources
KERA News
Jolene Sanders thought a private school could give her son with autism the kind of specialized attention he needed. So she searched for a good school with a good program. “Well, it doesn’t exist,” she said she ultimately concluded after looking. Sanders, now advocacy director at the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, and education professionals are concerned the legislative momentum for passing education savings accounts, or vouchers, could leave behind students with disabilities. The current version of the bill, which is being considered in the House of Representatives, would provide families $10,000 to pay for private school tuition. Students with disabilities may receive $11,500 per school year. The bill also explicitly exempts private schools from abiding by federal and state laws regarding special education.
WI: Parents rally for increased funding for special education services
wkow.com
Parents of children with special education needs gathered at the State Capitol on Wednesday to urge legislators to increase funding for special education services. The rally was organized by Melissa Custer and COPAA member, Tiffany Schanno, who launched the Learn in My Shoes campaign to bring attention to the issue of inadequate funding for special education. Both Custer and Schanno are parents of children with special needs and believe the state must do more to support these children. To make their point, the parents brought nearly 100 pairs of shoes to the Capitol. Each pair was labeled with the name of a child with special needs and a story of their challenging journey. The display was meant to symbolize the struggles these children and their families face due to insufficient support and funding.