by Common Ground | Apr 16, 2012 | Capitols
OCR found that school officials in a Burlington County district illegally required the family of a child with autism to pay for services.In the last two years, federal officials have launched dozens of new probes addressing civil rights issues that previously received...
by Common Ground | Apr 16, 2012 | Capitols
The New Jersey Department of Education has issued a corrective action plan for a north Jersey school district. The order is in response to a complaint investigation initiated by a non-attorney advocate last fall. According to the report, students placed in a...
by Common Ground | Apr 16, 2012 | Capitols
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Education Committee, has introduced a bill (S.2020) that would establish national standards on the use of restraints and seclusion in school. The “Keeping All Students Safe Act” would prohibit seclusion, as well as...
by Common Ground | Apr 16, 2012 | Capitols
Currently, more than $1.6 billion a year in Medicaid funding is used to pay for physical, occupational and speech therapy, mental health services, transportation and counseling.The U.S. Education Department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services...
by Common Ground | Sep 30, 2011 | Capitols
From the Capitol – Common Ground September 2011 The state’s non-partisan Office of Legislative Services (OLS) has issued a report calling for changes in New Jersey’s special education funding system. When the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) was enacted, it...
by Common Ground | Sep 30, 2011 | Capitols
From the Capitol – Common Ground September 2011 In signing the state budget for 2011-2012, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie increased state aid to local districts by $850 million, and at the same time, used his line item veto power to trim $900 million from...
by Common Ground | Sep 30, 2011 | Capitols
NJDOE’s OSERS determined that New Jersey “needs assistance” in meeting the requirements of Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) This summer, the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) issued a report...
by Common Ground | Sep 12, 2011 | Capitols
From the Capitol – Common Ground September 2011 New Jersey’s law is the first anti-bullying law in the U.S. to set statewide deadlines for incidents of bullying to be reported, investigated, and resolved. School personnel must report incidents of bullying...
by Common Ground | Jun 1, 2011 | Capitols
The U.S. Department of Education announced it would award nearly $20 million in grants to higher education institutions to help prepare special education personnel to improve services and results for children with disabilities. $13.5 million will help current and...
by Common Ground | Jun 1, 2011 | Capitols
Earlier this winter, the U.S Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs released a memo reminding states that a response-to-intervention (RTI) process cannot delay the initial evaluation for special education services of a child suspected of having...
by Common Ground | Jun 1, 2011 | Capitols
The New Jersey Department of Education issued a policy memo clarifying the need for goals and objectives for students with disabilities who are educated in general education programs. The memo underscores the need for IEP teams to develop goals and objectives based on...
by Common Ground | Jun 1, 2011 | Capitols
The New Jersey Department of Education has commissioned a $174,000 study to determine how fairly the state’s new school funding formula supports districts as they meet the needs of certain high cost students. The School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) called for the study...
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