by Common Ground | Jun 12, 2024 | Capitols
A U.S. District Court judge has approved a settlement in a class action lawsuit between the New Jersey Department of Education and 5,000 families of New Jersey students receiving special education services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states...
by Common Ground | Feb 22, 2024 | Capitols
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education say 55% of preschoolers with disabilities receive special education services in classrooms separate from their peers. In a joint policy statement, they called for more young children with...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | Capitols
Proposed changes to federal rules around Medicaid billing could make it easier for schools to pay for certain special education services. Currently, schools can bill Medicaid for health-related services in a student’s IEP, such as speech, occupational and...
by Common Ground | Aug 24, 2023 | Courts
A New York school district has settled a lawsuit that claimed school staff failed to provide a student with autism their proper resources and care. The case went to trial and settled for $1.55M. The plaintiff’s family sued the North Syracuse Central School...
by Common Ground | Apr 22, 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 | Apr 20, 2023 | Courts, Parents, Professionals, Teachers
The U.S. Supreme Court in March ruled unanimously that a deaf student may pursue his lawsuit for monetary damages against a Michigan school district that allegedly failed for years to provide him with adequate sign language assistance. The court held that a procedural...
by Common Ground | Apr 20, 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 | Jul 20, 2022 | Features
Less than 50 years ago, students in the United States with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, dyslexia, and other conditions were routinely turned away from school because of their disabilities. Today, they are entitled to a free and appropriate public education....
by Common Ground | Mar 17, 2022 | Capitols
A bill now on the governor’s desk would give families extra time to apply for compensatory special education services if their child with disabilities experienced learning losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current statute of limitations to file for full...
by Common Ground | Feb 13, 2022 | Capitols
Tracking Discipline and Reporting – S-1020 was signed, requiring New Jersey school districts to collect and report data on suspension and other disciplinary actions. Each district must now collect and report school-level demographic breakdown of students who...
.