by Common Ground | Feb 22, 2024 | Features, Parents, Professionals
IDEA, the nation’s special education law, is designed with one goal in mind: to ensure that children with disabilities receive an appropriate education to address their needs. The law covers children from birth through age 21. One part of IDEA—Section 619—funds...
by Common Ground | Apr 20, 2023 | Parents, Professionals, Special Ed Basics, Teachers
Common Ground is committed to informing families and guardians about parental rights and special education advocacy. In this and upcoming editions we will share a series of basic and important special education topics on the rights, responsibilities, administrative...
by Common Ground | Jun 18, 2021 | Better IEPs, Parents, Professionals, Teachers
By Elizabeth Athos, Esq. Education Law Center When a parent disagrees with a change to their child’s educational classification, program or placement that has been proposed by the school district, they can stop this change from going into effect – and preserve...
by Common Ground | Nov 13, 2012 | Capitols
The U.S. Department of Education has reaffirmed the need for school districts to consider ‘least restrictive environment’ when determining work placements for students with disabilities during the transition years. In a letter issued in response to an...
by Common Ground | Sep 30, 2011 | Courts
Plaintiffs contend that the district’s “Automatic Autism Transfer Policy” violates state and federal law.A Pennsylvania judge will soon hear a class action case alleging that a school district is illegally moving children from one school to another based solely on...
by Common Ground | Sep 12, 2011 | Courts
A New Jersey Administrative Law Judge has ruled that a local school district must reimburse parents for the cost of a private, out-of-district program. “The judge noted that the student’s grades took into consideration effort, and were the result of a lot of...
by Common Ground | Sep 12, 2011 | Parents, Professionals, Q&A, Teachers
By Ira M. Fingles, Esq. “The judge noted that the student’s grades took into consideration effort, and were the result of a lot of prompting, cueing, and modifications.”Many students have what is referred to as ‘invisible disabilities’ that manifest in...
by Common Ground | Jun 1, 2011 | Features, Parents, Teachers
The Symptoms of TBI The symptoms of TBI vary and depend on a number of factors, such as the severity of injury, the location and extent of injury in the brain, the child’s age and many other factors. There are, however, many common symptoms presented by students with...
by Common Ground | Jun 1, 2011 | Courts
A New Jersey Administrative Law Judge has ordered that a student with disabilities remain in his private school through the course of a placement dispute. The case involves a 10-year-old student with Aspergers syndrome who had been placed by his district in an...
by Common Ground | Jun 1, 2011 | Courts
A New Jersey Administrative Law judge has ruled that a teen with multiple disabilities may not return to his home district to complete high school. The case involves a 16 year-old student with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other conditions who had been...
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