Homelessness, Poverty and Special Education
Students without a home face steep educational challenges: the absence of basic necessities such as food and clothing; poor healthcare and medical services; a lack of quality mental health services; interruption of education due to mobility; and trauma.Poverty...Snapshot: Poverty, Homelessness and Special Education
According to U.S. Census data, 2.5 million children were homeless in 2013. According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, there were nearly 17,000 homeless children in New Jersey during the 2012-13 school year. That is roughly the entire population of...From the Courts: Supreme Court to Hear Special Education Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case that will set the national standard for the education of students with disabilities. At issue is the level of benefit that school districts are required to provide. The court will consider the question of whether...Responsible Use of One-to-One Paraprofessionals: Planning From the Start to Fade-Out Support
by Janet Renda “It is vital to consider the role of the Paraprofessional as potentially temporary” One-to-one paraprofessionals are often considered highly desirable in special education settings as a means of ensuring that a student with a significant...From the Capitol: Measure Establishing RTI Initiative in New Jersey Signed by Governor
Legislation to establish a Response to Intervention initiative (RTI) within the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has been signed by Governor Christie. The bipartisan measure (S-496 and A-2566) was co-sponsored by a long list of education leaders and...Protecting your Child from an Inappropriate Punishment
By Hillary D. Freeman, Esq. Students who qualify for special education and related services under the IDEA shall not be punished the same as regular education students for behaviors that are a product of their disabilities. Instead, the IEP team shall determine...Mental Health and Special Education: Early Intervention and Treatment for Childhood Mental Illness
Living among America’s 74 million children are growing numbers experiencing mental illness. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) finds that roughly 20% of adolescents ages 13 to 18 and 13% of 8 to 15 year-olds experience severe mental...SnapShot: Schools and Special Education in NJ
There are 673 school districts in NJ There are 2508 public schools in NJ More than ½ (50.2%) of the students in NJ are minorities More than 1 in 3 students in NJ are eligible for free/reduced lunch 15.1% of the students in NJ are classified as eligible for special...From the Courts: SCOTUS to Hear Special Education and Service Animals in Schools Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a special education case involving a 12-year-old Michigan girl with cerebral palsy who sought to bring her service dog – which was prescribed by a physician as a full time support – to school. The dog is certified...NJCommonGround.org, and the Common Ground E-newsletter are projects of the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities
.
.
- The Right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education
- What to Do if You Suspect Your Child has a Disability Impacting Their Education
- Initial Special Education Evaluations and Eligibility
- The Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Special Education Placement
- Q&A: What are Extended School Year (ESY) Services?
- Q&A: Dispute Resolution