by Common Ground | Feb 4, 2026 | Features, February 2026
Special education helps millions of students with disabilities learn, grow, and succeed in school. For these students, services like speech therapy, classroom supports, and individualized instruction are not extras—they are what make learning possible. Federal law...
by Common Ground | Feb 4, 2026 | February 2026, Professionals
School-based specialists—including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and school counselors—play a critical role in supporting students with disabilities. Through daily interactions with students, these professionals witness...
by Common Ground | Feb 4, 2026 | February 2026, Watch This
In this podcast-style episode of The Opportunity Gap, Assistant Principal Julian Saavedra discusses how federal funding supports kids with disabilities, and the gaps in support. Explore the video description for additional resources provided by...
by Common Ground | Nov 16, 2025 | Features, November 2025
Students with disabilities can face many different kinds of abuse in schools, and these experiences can have lasting effects on their confidence, mental health, and ability to learn. One type is verbal abuse, which happens when students are teased, mocked, or called...
by Common Ground | Nov 16, 2025 | November 2025, Parents
Emotional abuse often leaves no physical marks, but the psychological effects can be long-lasting. For students with disabilities, the signs might be dismissed as part of their condition rather than a reaction to mistreatment. That’s why it’s crucial for parents to...
by Common Ground | Nov 16, 2025 | November 2025, Snapshot
During the 2022-23 school year, 2,470 students in New Jersey were subject to restraint and/or seclusion. Of the 2,470 students, 2,311 of them experienced either physical or mechanical restraint. Students with disabilities make up 85% of students subjected to physical...
by Common Ground | Aug 28, 2025 | Capitols, September 2025
The New Jersey Senate has passed a bill that would help ensure safer transportation for students with disabilities by requiring that school bus personnel who work with students with disabilities call 911 in potential life-threatening emergencies. Currently, there is...
by Common Ground | Sep 27, 2024 | Courts, September 2024
The New Jersey State Supreme Court has ruled that students with disabilities are entitled to a free public education even after they earn a General Education Development (GED). The case involves a teen with disabilities who was denied a request to re-enroll in a...
by Common Ground | Feb 22, 2024 | Capitols, February 2024
In January, Governor Murphy signed legislation, P.L. 2023, c. 212 (A1174/S2057) concerning emergency planning for students with disabilities in school settings. The bill clarifies the ways in which students with disabilities—specifically, those with an IEP, 504 Plan,...
by Common Ground | Feb 8, 2023 | Better IEPs, Features, February 2023, Parents, Professionals, Teachers
What they say – and don’t say — about students with disabilities The pandemic’s effect on student learning and achievement continues to be a big concern for parents, educators, and policy-makers. Last fall, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests,...
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