by Common Ground | Apr 20, 2023 | April 2023, Capitols, Parents, Professionals, Teachers
The Governor’s 2023-24 proposed Budget includes $420 million of extraordinary special education aid to reimburse districts for special education “extraordinary” costs. This represents a 5% increase from the $400 million in fiscal year 2021. Over the most recent...
by Common Ground | Apr 20, 2023 | April 2023, Capitols, Professionals, Teachers
The U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration has announced $224 million in grants for innovative demonstration projects “focused on the creation of systemic approaches to improve access to pre-employment transition services for children...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Better IEPs, Features, February 2023, Parents, Professionals, Teachers
What they say – and don’t say — about students with disabilities The pandemic’s effect on student learning and achievement continues to be a big concern for parents, educators, and policy-makers. Last fall, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests,...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Better IEPs, February 2023, Parents, Professionals, Teachers
And the Need for High Focus on Recovery for Students with Disabilities While highly publicized reports underscore the negative effects of COVID-19 on student learning, it is important to focus on recovery, and systemic responses to address that learning loss. New...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | February 2023, Parents, Professionals, Teachers
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has provided three rounds of unprecedented direct federal funding to states to support the response of local school districts and to address the educational needs of students. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Better IEPs, February 2023, Parents, Professionals, Q&A, Teachers
Back by request, Common Ground is re-printing this important story last run in 2021. New Jersey law, P.L.2021, c.109 (sometimes referred to by its Senate bill number, S-3434) requires boards of education to provide special education and related services to certain...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Capitols, February 2023
In June of 2021, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and state lawmakers approved a three-year extension of special-education eligibility for students whose lives had been disrupted by the pandemic (sometimes referred to as “S3434”). The state earmarked $600...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Capitols, February 2023
New guidance from the US Department of Education warns that children suspected of having disabilities are waiting too long for evaluations, and special education services are not being fully implemented in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Capitols, February 2023
The Biden administration has issued new school discipline guidelines aimed at cutting back on high rates of suspension and expulsion for students with disabilities by clarifying rules that the nation’s schools are required to follow. The guidance is considered to be...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Courts, February 2023
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case centering on how families and schools go about resolving disputes over services for students with disabilities. The case, Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools, raises two important questions under the Individuals with...
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