Special Education
Laws & News
Across the States
NM: Bill refining allowable restraint and seclusion practices in schools advances out of House committee
Yahoo News
Members of the House Education Committee on Monday advanced a bill that would refine definitions of allowable physical discipline practices in public schools, limit those practices, and require expanded training for K-12 school personnel. House Bill 120, co-sponsored by Rep. Yanira Gurrola (D-Albuquerque), would amend the Public School Code by clarifying what restraint and seclusion are — used when students show dangerous or threatening behavior — and what actions are prohibited. The bill also requests school boards create plans for managing disruptive behavior so school personnel have guides when situations arise, and requires personnel be trained in de-escalation and restraint techniques twice a year. The bill advanced by a 7-5 vote.
SC: S.C. legislation proposes cameras in special education classrooms
wrdr
State legislative leaders are considering a bill that would mandate cameras in special education classrooms in public schools. The proposed legislation comes after incidents involving vulnerable students, including a case where 9-year-old Kadence, who has autism, was allegedly dragged across a classroom by her wrists, according to a police report. Her mother, Tanya Lord, of Aiken, learned about the incident through a third party and immediately took action.
TN: TN kids with disabilities face a complicated justice system
The Tennessean
Savannah Coffman spent the chaotic hours after her son’s arrest trying desperately to get to him. That morning, her then-15-year-old son, who has autism, posted on his private Snapchat account about a rumored widespread threat against schools. “Stay safe, y’all,” he wrote.
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TX: Extra voucher funds for students with disabilities requires public school psychologist assessment
KSAT
Time is running out to gather the necessary documentation for students with disabilities to receive the extra benefits entitled through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program. Families of students with disabilities could receive up to an additional $30,000, but only if they have completed a recent Individualized Education Program (IEP). “It has to be within the last three years, it has to be from Texas, and it has to explain what services, what needs the child has,” said Inga Cotton, the Executive Director of the nonprofit School Discovery Network. The catch: Cotton said only public school psychologists from the school district where a student is zoned can perform an IEP assessment, even if they don’t attend public school. With such a short window, Cotton said an additional burden will be placed on public school psychologists who are already short-staffed to perform a lengthy process.
CT: Inclusion for students with disabilities is mission of Connecticut’s 2026 Kid Governor
WTNH
Friday was inauguration day for 2026 kid governor Tessa Hallinan and her cabinet. She was joined by more than 150 fifth-grade students and teachers, as well as local leaders, as she took her oath of office. “Many of you have come to support the kids who are up here right now — who had an idea and took action,” Hallinan said. “To every fifth grader who voted in the statewide election, this experience could not have happened without you. Thank you for making your voices heard by participating in the election.” She was elected on a platform she calls “everybody belongs,” focused on inclusion for students with disabilities.
NE: Tuition breaks fall short, suspending young students moves ahead in Legislature
Nebraska Public Media
Sen. Dave Murman, chair of the Education Committee, is the lead sponsor of a proposal to once again allow schools to suspend students in kindergarten (LB653) through second grade. That practice was prohibited in 2023, unless the student brings a deadly weapon to school. Murman’s proposal would add that students could also be suspended if they engage in violent behavior capable of causing physical harm to another student or school employee. Sen. Jana Hughes supported the proposal, saying schools are reporting increasingly violent behavior, even among the youngest students. Sen. Terrell McKinney tried to stop the bill. McKinney, who’s black, recalled why he sponsored the ban on suspensions three years ago. “At the core of it, when I introduced the bill and I spoke to it, is the school-to-prison pipeline, the disproportionate amount of kids that look like me and others that are being suspended, that is an issue that needed to be addressed,” he said. McKinney faulted schools for not using alternatives to suspension to handle disruptive students.
Sen. Tom Brandt objected to another part of the proposal, which would require school districts, once they accepted a child under the state’s public school choice or option enrollment program, to also accept any siblings, even if the siblings had special education needs requiring an individualized education program.
Senators voted 33-8 to accept both the suspension and option enrollment parts of Murman’s proposal, then gave the bill first-round approval.
TX; Texas increased special education funding. Now, the state has to decide where it will go
Houston Public Media
Texas lawmakers last year increased funding for disabled students after decades of underfunding. Now, the state must figure out what equipment, training, and other services that $250 million will go toward. The Texas Education Agency is surveying professionals who provide special education services to students for detailed information on what they do and how they do it. TEA Deputy Commissioner Kristin McGuire said a portion of House Bill 2, the state’s recent education funding measure, is designed to improve special education delivery by “looking at those special ed services that the child is receiving to determine how can we more efficiently and better cover the cost of educating students with disabilities.” The TEA is asking providers what training and certifications they need, equipment used to help disabled students, and the frequency of services provided, to name just a few elements of special education. These details were never sought before, let alone used to determine funding.
WI: Education has seen unprecedented changes in Trump’s second term
Urban Milwaukee
The day is almost over at Casimir Pulaski High School on Milwaukee’s south side. Most students are packing up their things to leave, but Sarah Lind is still helping a student struggling with her English homework. “So what’s different about these two paragraphs?” Lind asks the freshman student. It takes some time, but together, Lind and the girl figure it out before the last bell. Pulaski is a full-inclusion school, meaning general education and special education students are in the same classrooms. Lind is a special education teacher who moves from classroom to classroom, helping students where needed. It’s a second career for Lind, a former journalist, that almost didn’t happen.
CA: State settles with Sacramento schools over enrollment
The Center Square
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a settlement Friday with the Sacramento City Unified School District following an investigation into enrollment policies that allegedly discriminated against students. The settlement resolves a lawsuit alleging the district violated open enrollment and nondiscrimination laws. “Every student has the right to equal access to a quality public education. That starts with enrollment,” Bonta said in a press release.
In July 2024, the California Department of Justice launched an investigation into whether the Sacramento school district was complying with state enrollment laws designed to ensure equal access to public education. Bonta later concluded that the district’s open enrollment and midyear transfer policies were discriminatory and violated the California Education Code. The investigation found that the district prioritized families based on higher socioeconomic status, creating barriers for disadvantaged students, English learners, and students with disabilities. It further determined that the district unlawfully denied or delayed enrollment for foster youth and students experiencing homelessness.
CT: Report: Problems persist in CT special ed system despite federal compliance
The Register Citizen
Flaws in Connecticut’s special education system are impeding the state’s ability to provide adequate services to students, according to a report released Wednesday by state Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker. Russell-Tucker commissioned the report six months ago amid concerns the state wasn’t doing enough to support students with disabilities. The findings affirmed many of those worries, revealing a system struggling with staffing shortages, arduous data collection software and a widespread lack of confidence in how disputes are resolved. As a result, children may struggle to access the resources they require for a free appropriate public education — a legal standard also known as FAPE.
Andrew Feinstein, an attorney who represents children with disabilities and a founding member of the group Special Education Equity for Kids in Connecticut, called the report “devastating.” “The fundamental problem appears to be that the Bureau of Special Education sees itself primarily as a conduit to transmit district-generated data to the federal Department of Education. It does not see itself as accountable to parents and teachers. The bureau is ineffective in improving results for students,” Feinstein told the board.