Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, almost all school districts rapidly shifted to distance learning in spring of the 2019-2020 school year. This shift laid bare both the logistical and instructional challenges of distance learning, particularly for English learners and students with disabilities, both of whom have faced…

Schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) are required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide services for eligible students with disabilities, such as learning disabilities or health impairments. Services for these students are listed in individualized education programs (IEP). The Department of…

In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $1.763M for Fiscal Year 2014 to create a statewide system for special education paperwork. In 2014, the Legislature greatly expanded the requirements of the system but did not appropriate additional resources to maintain ongoing operation of the system. The 2014 legislation codified the system in…

This report has been provided to the Legislature on an annual basis since the year 2000. This report is issued in the context of a change in focus for the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the federal agency which oversees the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) implementation in each state. OSEP's new accountability…

This report has been provided to the Legislature on an annual basis since 2000 when the legislature amended the language of G.L. c. 71B to align Massachusetts special education terminology with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This year reports the context of a major change in the way state systems of special…

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funds schools located on 63 reservations in 23 states across the nation. Of the 183 schools, 59 are Bureau operated and 124 are tribally controlled. One-hundred and sixteen schools provide instructional programs, 55 provide instructional as well as boarding services and 12 peripheral dormitories provide only…

This paper reports on the implementation of the Special Education Reimbursement ("Circuit Breaker") Program. Fiscal Year 2007 is the fourth year implementing the Circuit Breaker reimbursement program which provides additional state support for students with disabilities. School districts are eligible for a reimbursement of eligible costs…

Case studies of the implementation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 17 school districts show that we have seen only the early stages of increased opportunities for the handicapped. (Author/MLF)

The study developed and tested a systematic format for discovering and displaying relationships among five major federal laws concerning the handicapped: P.L. 93-112 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973), P.L. 93-380 (Education Amendments of 1974), P.L. 94-63 (Special Health Revenue Sharing Act of 1974), P.L. 94-103 (Developmentally Disabled Assistance and…

Analyzes Indiana case involving a school district's efforts to obtain a limited education guardianship and the medical records for a 16-year-old special-education student whose mother refused to cooperate in the development of an IEP. The state appellate court reversed the trail court's decision granting the district's requests. Discusses…

This decision did not clarify all of the issues involved but did state clearly that if the need arises, a student, regardless of his or her learning disability, can be suspended up to a full 10 days. (Author/IRT)

This paper presents the Final Report on the Audio-Digital MCAS Pilot Program. The Department and Recording For the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) have collaborated to provide audio-digital read-aloud editions of the Grade 10 English Language Arts and Mathematics MCAS tests for a small number of students with disabilities such as dyslexia and/or…

To maintain "marginality" when attempting to implement PL 142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act), a principal must understand the demands, goals, needs, and motivations of all concerned. Mainstreaming and other special education decisions made by principals need to be guided by situational ethics. Includes five references.…

Summarizes a case involving a district's alleged violation of a neurologically impaired student's rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504). The Third Circuit Court ruled that IDEA's "stay-put" rule did not excuse the district from developing a timely individualized…

This report summarizes provisions and highlights changes for the Individualized Education Program (IEP) within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997. Also included are references from the two Congressional Committee Reports--those of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and the House Committee on…