Month: August 2021
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Judge allows Kanawha students with disabilities case to become a class-action lawsuit
This article was published on The Charleston Gazette-Mail by Ryan Quinn on August 25, 2021. A federal judge has opened the door to allowing an ongoing lawsuit to dramatically change the way Kanawha County public schools must support children with disabilities and behavioral issues. U.S. District Judge Irene Berger ruled Tuesday that what was a 2020 lawsuit filed by…
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Legal review: Some New Mexico charter school admission policies may be discriminatory
This article was published on the Santa Fe New Mexican on August 21, 2021. A private law firm’s partial review of charter school admissions practices found some state-funded institutions in New Mexico are violating state rules by requesting information about prospective students’ special-education needs. Leaders of a few charter schools cited in the report were…
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O’Neill & Rhim: Stuck in the Virtual Basement? Schools Must Not Use COVID Safety Rules as a Reason to Exclude Special-Needs Kids
This article was published on The 74 Million by Paul O’Neill and Lauren Morando Rhim on August 16, 2021. After more than a year of largely remote learning, many schools are, despite some lingering virtual offerings, returning to primarily in-person instruction for nearly all students. That is raising some very serious questions that we have…
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$1 million grant will help support special education teachers across Virginia
This article was published on WFXR by Kim Yonick on August 17, 2021. (WFXR) — The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has received a $1 million grant to help reduce turnover and promote retention of special education teachers. The funding will give VDOE the ability to build upon efforts supporting the recruitment, development, and retention…
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Cardona: Mask mandate bans could be civil rights, discrimination issue
This article was published on K-12 Dive by Naaz Modan on August 18, 2021. Dive Brief: U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona sent six additional letters Wednesday to Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah expressing disapproval over the states’ school mask mandate bans. He also suggested in an update on the U.S. Department of Education’s Homeroom blog that the…
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Denver planned to stop separating students with emotional disabilities. Now, the district has changed course.
This article was published on Chalkbeat Colorado by Melanie Asmar on August 18, 2021. Denver Public Schools had planned to abolish its system of separate classrooms for students with emotional disabilities, describing them recently as “one of our most glaring examples of institutionalized racism.” Black male students are four and a half times as likely…
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Pandemic Exacerbates Lack Of Special Ed Resources In N.H.
This article was published on NHPR by Sarah Gibson on August 17, 2021. Some New Hampshire school districts are reporting more inquiries than usual into special education services, as families contend with learning loss, developmental delays, and disabilities diagnosed during the pandemic. Whether these inquiries will translate to more special education plans, called IEP’s, is…
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District 20 unveils $25M elementary school offering STEM lab, dyslexia services
This article was published on The Gazette by O’Dell Isaac on August 12, 2021. Academy School District 20 on Thursday unveiled a new, $25 million elementary school, complete with a state-of-the-art STEM lab and a one-of-a-kind program for students with dyslexia. Encompass Heights Elementary School — a sprawling, two-story structure sitting on an 11-acre campus — is…
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Lincoln parents call LPS mask policy for special education students unfair
This article was published on 1011Now by Bayley Bischof on August 12, 2021. LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – For most Lincoln Public School students in seventh grade or above, masks are optional. But not for everyone. Students in certain special education and life skills classes are required to mask up regardless of age or vaccination status.…
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Education advocates lobby NC lawmakers to fund the $800 million-per-year Leandro plan
This article was published on WRAL by Emily Walkenhorst on August 11, 2021. Education and child advocates visited the North Carolina General Assembly on Wednesday to tell lawmakers their budget proposals aren’t enough to adequately fund public schools. Advocates urged lawmakers to fully fund the plan outlined in the quarter-century old Leandro education equity lawsuit.…