From the Capitols: Schools Obligated to Maintain IEPs for Students Who Move
Leaders at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) have clarified the responsibilities of local school districts to provide services to “highly mobile” students, such as those in foster care or homeless, children of migrant workers, and children in military families....From the Capitol: New Jersey’s Special Education Program OK’d by Washington
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has notified leaders at the New Jersey Department of Education that the state met the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in several...From the Capitol: Braille Instruction Encouraged by US Education Department
In June, the U.S. Education Department has released a “Dear Colleague” letter to reiterate that school districts are responsible to provide instruction in Braille to students who are blind or visually impaired, unless a school team determines that it is...From the Capitol: Feds Announce New Effort to Strengthen Accountability for Students with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education has announced new steps to help close the achievement gap for students with disabilities by moving away from a one-size-fits-all, compliance-focused approach to a more balanced system that looks at how well students are being educated,...From the Capitol: Record Number of Complaints About Special Education
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) received more complaints about disability-related issues from 2009-2011 than ever before. OCR enforces civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, national origin, sex, disability and...From the Capitol: Least Restrictive Environment Must Be Considered in Job Placement During Transition Years
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...Snapshot: Students with Disabilities in Higher Education
More than 88% of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting postsecondary institutions report enrolling students with disabilities.(NCES) Almost all public 2-year and 4-year institutions (99%) and medium and large institutions (100%) report enrolling students with...From the Courts: NJ District Cited for Segregating Students With Disabilities
A federal investigation into whether a large urban school district placed students with disabilities in segregated classrooms has pushed the district to commit to change the ways in which it makes placement decisions. The case involves the 9,500-student school...Office for Civil Rights Expands Its Reach
OCR found that school officials in a Burlington County district illegally required the family of a child with autism to pay for services.In the last two years, federal officials have launched dozens of new probes addressing civil rights issues that previously received...NJCommonGround.org, and the Common Ground E-newsletter are projects of the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities
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- 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