by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Features
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued an advisory calling for swift action to respond to a growing mental health crisis among youth that has worsened due to stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The advisory notes that national surveys have shown major...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Parents
COVID-19-related school closures and instructional interruptions resulted in significant disruption of special education and related services to students with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued guidance regarding COVID-related compensatory...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Better IEPs
As educators, advocates and parents respond to the negative effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on special educational and therapeutic services, it’s important to consider the impact on other disability services. The pandemic has particularly impacted the landscape...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Q&A
As schools returned to in-person instruction this fall and faced a host of challenges, the US Department of Education received multiple requests from a variety of special education stakeholders to issue guidance interpreting the requirements of the IDEA. The guidance,...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Teachers
For some students, the return to familiar school buildings and classrooms has been a welcome relief from isolation at home. For others, returning to school—perhaps to new classrooms or even new schools—has been filled with new anxieties and fears. Data show that...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Capitols
President Joe Biden has selected Glenna Gallo to serve as assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services at the U.S. Department of Education. She will need confirmation by the U.S. Senate to officially serve as the assistant secretary. Gallo...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Courts
In November, a U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) request to reconsider FDA rules that ban the use of electric shock. In 2020, the FDA finalized regulations prohibiting the use of ‘electrical stimulation...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Snapshot
From 2009 to 2019, the proportion of high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40 percent. In that same time, the proportion of students who are ‘seriously considering attempting suicide’ has increased by 36 percent. In...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Capitols
A new law will allow a college student enrolled in an institution of higher education who has completed 30 semester hour credits to be a substitute teacher in New Jersey, cutting in half the number of credits needed to apply for a substitute credential. The measure,...
by Common Ground | Dec 20, 2021 | Capitols
Governor Phil Murphy has conditionally approved a law that would establish a special unit within the Office of Administrative Law to handle matters of special education disputes and disagreements. The bill (S.2160, sponsored by Senator Steve Sweeney, quickly passed...
.