Category: Special Education Process and Policy
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Federal Court Rules in Favor of APS in Drawn-Out Education Dispute
This article was published on ARLNow by Jo DeVoe on July 30, 2021. A multi-year legal battle between a family and Arlington Public Schools over the appropriateness of their child’s special education support ended this summer with a decision in APS’s favor, handed down by federal court. While the avenues for dispute resolution dead-end there…
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Montclair Schools: We Promise To Do Better For Special Education Students
This article was published on Montclair Local by Talia Wiener on July 15, 2021. Montclair schools say they’re undertaking major, systemic changes to special education after an audit found racial disparities in how often children are classified as needing services, problems with communication and uneven experiences across the district’s schools. That third-party audit, by GoTeach…
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Study: Brain injury increases risk for ADHD in children — and vice versa
This article was published on UPI by Brian P. Dunleavy on July 12, 2021. July 12 (UPI) — Children who suffer a traumatic brain injury are at nearly five times higher risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder one year or more later, an analysis published Monday by JAMA Pediatrics found. Among people age 4 to 18 who experience a…
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Federal lawsuit accuses AAPS and MDE of racketeering, inadequate pandemic special education
This article was published on Michigan Radio by Caroline Llanes on July 5, 2021. Ann Arbor Public Schools and the Michigan Department of Education are defendants in a lawsuit filed in federal court on June 30. The lawsuit, brought by parents of special education students in AAPS, alleges inadequate special education services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The…
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Austin ISD completes more than 700 out of 900 special education evaluations by June 30 deadline
This article was published on KXAN by Alex Caprariello on June 30, 2021. AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District has completed more than 700 of the estimated 900 backlogged special education evaluations requested by families, closing in on a June 30 self-imposed deadline the district provided to the public two months ago. An…
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No evidence’ of discrimination against special education students, federal investigation dismissed
This article was published on Indianapolis Star by Arika Herron on June 29, 2021. A federal investigation into the Indiana Department of Education over the concerns that students with disabilities were being denied equal access to education during the COVID-19 pandemic has been dismissed. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights said, in a letter issued…
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St. Tammany school district settles complaint over COVID-related special education learning losses
This article was published on nola.com by Maria Fazio on June 29, 2021. At the onset of the pandemic, schools across the country abruptly transitioned to remote learning, scrambling to replicate face-to-face instruction in a virtual setting, often without required technology. More than a year later, some students — including many with disabilities — are still behind.…
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Chicago’s special education department will be monitored for another year
This article was published on Chalkbeat Chicago by Samantha Smylie on June 17, 2021. The Illinois State Board of Education this week approved another year of state oversight of Chicago Public Schools’ special education program. A state monitor has overseen Chicago’s special education department since 2018, after a report found that Chicago Public Schools systematically delayed and…
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Some dyslexic students in Taunton are struggling, but there is hope for future students
This article was published on The Taunton Daily Gazette by Susannah Sudborough on June 18, 2021. TAUNTON — Fifth-grader Amari Kaye is 12 years old, but because of her dyslexia, she began her year at Martin Middle School this year reading at a third grade level. “Going into fifth grade, you’re supposed to be able to read…
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Why having too many or too few special education students matters
This article was published on K-12 Dive by Kara Arundel on June 1, 2021. The improper identification of special education students was a concern to Lauren Katzman and many others before the pandemic. Now, after a year of millions of students collectively experiencing lost instructional time, fluctuating learning formats, social isolation and trauma, the angst…