It is important to understand the contexts which lead to alternative education programming. The ways in which problem behavior is defined detrimentally impacts ethnically and racially minoritized populations and students with disabilities. Additionally, the pipeline to alternative education, with opportunities for increased supports and services,…

Leading an individualized education program (IEP) meeting can be a daunting task for special education teachers, particularly if they want to make changes to the status quo when it comes to inclusive opportunities for students with higher support needs. This article explores how special educators can begin to advocate for that change within their…

In some instances, a local school district may determine that it cannot provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) for a student with a disability within their district. In partnership with the student's family and teachers, the district may decide that the student would be best served in a private school or facility better suited to meet…

The purpose of this essay is to identify and interrogate listening practices, which can restrict and facilitate educators' capacity to authentically care for neurodiverse students and their families. We reconceptualize listening as integral to consciousness formation by unveiling our own listening experiences as parents and collaborative…

During the 2023 Legislative Session, the Legislature considered House Bill (HB) 1479, a measure which would have prohibited isolation and further restricted restraint in public schools. While the bill did not pass, the Legislature provided the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with designated state funds to begin actualizing…

This article describes the results of a disabled children's childhood studies analysis of Section 1414 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), which outlines definitions and procedures related to evaluations, eligibility determinations, individualized education programs (IEP), and educational placements for disabled children in…

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is required, under Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill (E2SSB) 5315 (2023), to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding the placement of students receiving special education services at entities known as nonpublic agencies (NPAs). As of December 2023, there are 94 NPAs…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) continues to account for an expansive and expensive segment of education litigation. The most longstanding remedy under the IDEA is tuition reimbursement, interpreted broadly to include not only private school tuition, but also related transportation and stand-alone related services. Probably…

Special education has been the subject of many rulings in federal courts. These rulings have greatly affected the practice of special education. The most important of these cases have come from the U.S. Supreme Court, which thus far has heard 12 cases directly affecting special education. This article examines the most important of these special…

The goal of this article is to assist individualized education program (IEP) team personnel to not make errors in the placement of students. To do so the authors: (1) describe what a placement decision is and who makes the decision; (2) review the placement requirements of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2006); (3) examine…

The primary message of the Supreme Court's ruling in "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" (hereinafter "Endrew F.," 2017) was that school districts are obligated to "offer an IEP [individualized education program] that is reasonably calculated to enable the child to make progress appropriate in light of the…

Even though special education law is covered in most teacher and administrative certification programs, it is an area that is continually evolving. The results of the 2017 U.S. Supreme Court case "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" will have a lasting impact on the future of special education guidelines; the outcomes of this…

This case is designed to help school leaders develop skills needed to work with interdisciplinary groups while demonstrating the complex issues faced while considering the special education needs of students. The case further examines a child study team meeting from the lens of different participants, including the principal, teacher, school…

Exclusionary discipline practices in the United States are used disproportionately in the punishment of Black students with a disability compared to White and Black students with or without a disability. One potential mechanism leading to the disproportionate use of exclusionary discipline is a process called 'manifestation determination reviews'…

For this 17th article in the series reviewing recent court decisions concerning appropriate school psychology practice from both professional and legal perspectives, the topic is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's (IDEA) central obligation, free appropriate public education (FAPE). More specifically, the focus here is procedural and…