by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | August 2023, Parents
The Board of Education in each of New Jersey’s 613 local school districts sets policy and governance and helps with long-term planning and goal setting. Running for a seat on the school board is a smart way to bring your leadership and perspective to a larger...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | August 2023, Capitols
Proposed changes to federal rules around Medicaid billing could make it easier for schools to pay for certain special education services. Currently, schools can bill Medicaid for health-related services in a student’s IEP, such as speech, occupational and...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | Capitols
According to Pew Research Center, the number of students in special education in the United States has doubled over the past four decades, creating a rising share of public-school kids who need special education services. The data is part of the National Center for...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | August 2023, Capitols
The USDOE’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has published policy guidance reaffirming states’ obligations to ensure implementation of The Individuals with Disabilties Education Act (IDEA). The guidance and accompanying “Dear...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | August 2023, Capitols
This spring, the USDOE’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) addressed preschool suspension, expulsion, and informal removals. OSEP Director Valerie C. Williams wrote in her blog about the “stressful and isolating experiences” created by...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | August 2023, Courts
The State of Pennsylvania is depriving students with disabilities of a year of instruction as young adults, according to a lawsuit filed this spring. Federal law entitles students with disabilities the right to FAPE until they earn a regular high school diploma or...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | August 2023, Courts
A New York school district has settled a lawsuit that claimed school staff failed to provide a student with autism their proper resources and care. The case went to trial and settled for $1.55M. The plaintiff’s family sued the North Syracuse Central School...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | August 2023, Snapshot
Preschoolers with Disabilities and School Discipline Black preschool students accounted for 18.2% of the total preschool enrollment but received 43.3% of one or more out-of-school suspensions; Black preschool students were expelled at rates that were more than twice...
by Common Ground | Jun 20, 2023 | Better IEPs, Features, June 2023
A person-centered plan can help those involved with the focus person see the total person, recognize his or her desires and interests, and discover completely new ways of thinking about the future of the person.” — Beth Mount & Kay Zwernik, 1988 All too...
by Common Ground | Jun 16, 2023 | Better IEPs, June 2023, Q&A
By Jason Krasnow Q: What does the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) say about student involvement in the IEP process? A: The IDEA requires that students aged 14 and older be invited to attend their IEP meetings. Younger students do not need to be...
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