Special Education
Laws & News
Across the States
TX: Texas overhauls special education funding with $850 million boost
KfoxTV
Texas is pumping an additional $850 million into special education as part of a sweeping reform that reshapes how school districts receive funding. Rachel Adame Anderson, a Professional Development Consultant with Region 19 Education Service Center, said the changes are designed to prioritize equity and student safety. But the new funding doesn’t stop there. Support allotments have doubled, and the state has committed $1.3 billion in basic cost assistance under House Bill 2. According to Anderson, the increased funding helps close a $1.7 billion gap caused by years of under-identification and the now-eliminated 8.5% cap on special education enrollment.
NJ: NJ updates IEP rules to help parents, adds state working group
Chalkbeat
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a new law this week that requires New Jersey public schools to provide parents of students with disabilities with more information about a child’s annual special education program meeting ahead of time. The new law mandates that schools provide parents with a written statement of items to be discussed at an annual individualized education program, also known as an IEP, meeting no later than two business days before it takes place. Previously, the law only required parents to receive details about a meeting’s purpose, time, location, and participants.
LA: La. schools must update disability policies under new law
nola.com
Starting this year, Louisiana school districts must install cameras in all special-education classrooms and make changes to their special education policies, under a new state law that puts additional safeguards in place for students with disabilities. Under Act 479, which the Legislature passed this year, schools must place at least one camera in every special-education classroom by next February. The law also puts new restrictions on the practice of physically restraining students with disabilities or putting them in separate “seclusion” rooms. For example, a school nurse or other staffer must visit any student who is secluded or restrained, and school personnel must file detailed incident reports. Those changes take effect Dec. 1, though districts have until next May to submit updated policies to the state. The law also authorizes the state education department to develop a free “crisis intervention” training program for school staffers on how to properly restrain students during emergencies. The changes come after a 2024 report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office found that, despite warnings from advocates and the federal government that using seclusion and restraint in schools can endanger students and potentially violate their rights, the state education department had failed to properly monitor how public schools use the practices.
WA: NW SOIL lawsuit expands with new Pierce County cases
Tacoma News Tribune
Four families have joined a lawsuit against a now-closed school for students with disabilities and several Pierce County school districts. Outlined in documents filed with the Bethel, Federal Way, Tacoma, and University Place school districts earlier this month, four former students at the Northwest School of Innovative Learning and their families allege that the districts and the now-shuttered school contributed to abusing students. The update comes after two families filed suit in April against Fairfax Behavioral Health, the parent company for the Northwest School of Innovative Learning, and the Tacoma and University Place school districts, outlining similar allegations.
GA: State walks back proposal impacting students with special needs and the homebound
WSB-TV Channel 2
After petitions from parents, the Georgia Department of Education is now walking back a proposal that would have impacted students with disabilities and with medical needs. The proposal would have made changes to the hospital and homebound rules. Parents told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers that this is a win for students. Public comment about the proposal ended last week, and by Friday, the State Board of Education told Rogers that they’d no longer be moving forward with the change. The board of education wanted to change the number of days a student has to miss before they qualify for the program on a temporary status from 10 to 15. The board of education said they got an overwhelming amount of feedback on the proposal.
IL: Funding alternatives proposed amid CPS budget deficit
NBC Chicago
Chicago Public Schools is facing a massive budget hole, as the district needs to find $734 million in funding or make cuts equaling that amount. On Saturday, CPS hosted its fourth community feedback session, where residents came together to brainstorm ideas and shared what’s most important to them. The latest session came two weeks after CPS laid off more than 1,400 employees. Nearly 55% of those cuts were to special education
WA: Disability advocates concerned about destruction of WA state records
The Seattle Times
Julie Gunter was trying to get appropriate services from the Seattle School District for her daughter and other students with disabilities, but hit a major snag: past records of how other school districts handled similar situations were not available — not even in the state archives. The records Gunter wanted, called Special Education Community Complaint decisions, are commonly used to help argue for better services for students with disabilities. In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, and later in 2024, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) quietly changed its policy for how those documents are stored, allowing even decisions that disability advocates say have precedential value to be deleted after six years. Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, said he finds the destruction of the records after a short timeframe “mind-boggling.” He compared OSPI’s decision to the destruction of police misconduct records, which would hamper any effort to find patterns of civil rights violations.
WV: West Virginia schools tackling special education shortages through training and innovation
wvnews.com
Special education is a key component of public school systems in the state. However, there are several challenges facing individuals who work in these positions. School boards across the state are working on finding ways to improve their special education offerings and address program needs. In Wood County, administrators are working on training their special education staff to make sure they’re prepared for whatever comes their way, said Justin Hartshorn, assistant superintendent of Wood County Schools. “We are really focused this year on providing training to all of our staff,” he said. “One big thing we focused on this past year was compliance. We really struggled with compliance during the 2022-2023 school year extensively.” Since then, significant improvements have been made, with the county now a leader in compliance, said Randy Simmons, compliance specialist at Wood County Schools. “We’re working hard to have all of our students tested within 80 days from the day we receive parental consent,” he said.
WI: Wisconsin increases special education funding, but advocates say more is needed
news8000.com
Wisconsin will increase its support for special education funding under the state’s biennial budget passed earlier this month, marking the largest boost in nearly three decades. However, public school advocates argue the increase falls short of what’s needed. The budget allocates nearly $1.4 billion for schools and raises the state’s special education reimbursement rate from approximately 30% to 42% in the first year and 45% in the second year. This means in year two, schools will get $0.45 for every dollar spent on special education costs. “We were advocating for 90% reimbursement for special education,” said Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, a teacher and president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council. “We need full reimbursement for special education needs.”
CA: New pizza shop ‘Pizzabilities’ in Alpine employs disabled young adults
NBC 7 San Diego
‘Pizzabilities’ had its grand opening on Saturday in Alpine, right along Alpine Boulevard. The pizza shop has a pretty clever name, considering they provide possibilities for each and every employee who works there. Grace Baker was one of the store’s first employees. She has Down Syndrome. Josh Baker is her dad, and he’s also one of the owners. Baker told NBC 7 that his daughter just graduated from high school at 19 years old, and was having a tough time locking down a job. That’s when inspiration struck. “She loves pizza, and I’m a business owner, and let’s see what we can do,” said Baker. “We started this in hopes of being able to create jobs for people with special needs who are otherwise having a difficult time finding employment,” he added.