by Common Ground | Apr 15, 2016 | Capitols
Congress approved a $1.1 trillion plan to boost spending for many government programs including special education and other disability programs. Funding for states under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have increased by $415 million. Feds Boost...
by Common Ground | Apr 15, 2016 | Courts
A group of middle and high school students have filed a first-of-its-kind federal lawsuit saying violence at home and in their neighborhoods has impaired their ability to learn at school. The case involves a group of California students and three teachers who allege...
by Common Ground | Apr 15, 2016 | Snapshot
In 2013, about ten percent of K-12 students in New Jersey were deemed “chronically absent,” missing more than 18 school days. Across the nation, an estimated 5 to 7.5 million students miss a month or more of school each year. In poor communities, truancy rates...
by Common Ground | Feb 18, 2016 | Capitols
Lawmakers in Washington have approved a $1.1 trillion plan that offers a boost in spending for federal government programs that affect children and adults with disabilities. Funding to states under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will increase...
by Common Ground | Feb 18, 2016 | Capitols
The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services have issued guidance to states, school districts, and early childhood providers urging them to take action to include more children with disabilities into inclusive high-quality early childhood programs....
by Common Ground | Oct 6, 2015 | Capitols
The U.S. Department of Education has announced that states will no longer be allowed to administer tests to students with disabilities that are based on modified academic achievement standards. Previously, states were allowed to count up to 2 percent of all students...
by Common Ground | Oct 6, 2015 | Courts
A New Jersey Administrative Law Judge has ordered the parents of a Morris County student with disabilities to consent to evaluation. The case involves a 6th grader classified as “Other Health Impaired.” At the time of the child’s classification in the 3rd grade, the...
by Common Ground | Oct 6, 2015 | Courts
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider a case involving an interpretation of federal law addressing the “stay put” provision of IDEA. “Stay put” allows a student with disabilities to remain in his or her current special education placement...
by Common Ground | May 14, 2015 | Courts
A New Jersey Administrative Law Judge recently ruled that a family in which the father worked overseas was entitled to have their son’s special education services paid for by the Hunterdon County school district in which they maintained an apartment. The case involves...
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...