by Common Ground | May 14, 2015 | Courts
A Monmouth County school district has been ordered by an administrative law judge to provide compensatory education to a student with disabilities. The case involves a 21-year-old man with autism and an array of complex behavior, including self-injury, aggression, and...
by Common Ground | May 14, 2015 | Capitols
U.S. Sens. Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced the Supportive School Climate Act of 2015, legislation that would address the so-called school-to-prison pipeline by reducing suspensions, expulsions, and other overly harsh school disciplinary...
by Common Ground | May 14, 2015 | Capitols
Federal education officials are fielding an increasing number of complaints related to disability discrimination in the nation’s schools. More than 3,900 complaints based on disability were filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights during...
by Common Ground | May 14, 2015 | Capitols
NJ Senator Diane Allen (R-7) introduced a bill (S-1760) that would recognize American Sign Language as a world language and require high schools to let students fulfill their foreign language graduation requirement by taking sign language courses, instead of spoken...
by Common Ground | May 14, 2015 | Capitols
Assembly Bill A3224, requiring additional professional development requirements on suicide prevention, awareness, and response for public district personnel, has unanimously cleared the Assembly Education Committee, and at press time was awaiting an Assembly vote. The...
by Common Ground | May 14, 2015 | Snapshot
Nearly 1 in 5 students with disabilities were placed on out-of-school suspensions during the 2011-2012 school year, a rate two to three times that of typically developing students. In North Dakota, 5% of students with disabilities were suspended statewide, while in...
by Common Ground | Sep 25, 2014 | Features
By: Nina Peckman, Esq. and Mary Coogan, Esq. In New Jersey, approximately 7,600 children live in foster care situations; many of them have learning issues, some of which have not yet been identified. Because of the complexity of the special education system, it can be...
by Common Ground | Sep 25, 2014 | Letters
By: Emerson Dickman, J.D. Too often, advocacy is seen as a contest — parents versus the system. The primary goal of an advocate should be to develop an atmosphere of collaboration and open communication between the family and the school district. The purpose of...
by Common Ground | Sep 25, 2014 | Q&A
By: Lynn Abelson, MA, CCC-SLP, OTR Q: What is the DIR® Model? A: The Developmental, Individual-Differences, Relationship-based (DIR®) model, pioneered by Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D. and Serena Wieder, Ph.D, provides a framework for assessment and intervention for those...
by Common Ground | Sep 25, 2014 | Courts
Young adults incarcerated in county jails who are eligible for special education services are the responsibility of the school district where their parents reside, according to a California Supreme Court ruling released earlier this year. The case involves a student...
.