Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on

Earlier this week, the U. S. Department of Education’s (USDOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the most recent biennial Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The data included in the 2015-16 CRDC was self-reported by more than 17,300 public school districts and almost 96,400 public schools and educational programs.

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The…

Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on

The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) recently published a new policy brief – What School Leaders Need to Know – detailing schools’ legal requirements regarding transition planning to help students with disabilities prepare for work after graduation.

 

Posted by Megan E. Greulich on

On Dec. 7, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released a Q&A document clarifying the scope of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) following the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) March 2017 decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District.

The SCOTUSblog provides resources…

Posted by Jennifer Hardin on

Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court answered a question that it had deferred 35 years ago in its seminal opinion on education for children with disabilities—Board of Edn. of Hendrick Hudson Central School Dist. v. Rowley.

In Rowley, the court concluded that the guarantee of a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in what is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is met if a child’s individualized education program (IEP) sets out a program that is “reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits.” However…

Posted by Jennifer Hardin on

Earlier today, a unanimous United States Supreme Court issued its decision in the case of Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools.  The Court overturned the lower courts’ decisions and remanded the case to the appeals court to determine whether the plaintiffs’ suit is about a denial of a FAPE rather than discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.   

The Fry case involved E.F., a student with cerebral palsy, and her assistance dog, Wonder.  When E.F. was a kindergartner, her parents, Stacy and…

Posted by Jennifer Hardin on

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Endrew F v.  Douglas County School District.  The case involves the legal standard the courts will apply when determining whether a school district has provided FAPE as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA). 

The question presented in this case involves IDEA’s provision that federal funds will be provided to states that make FAPE available to every…

Posted by Megan Greulich on

The Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) released an updated version of Ohio’s System of General Supervision on Oct. 13. Federal law requires states to develop systems of general supervision to monitor school district implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. OEC establishes this document, which is comprised of nine…

Posted by Jennifer Hardin on

ODE news:  Every Student Succeeds Act webinars and stakeholder meetings and comment period for revisions to learning standards ending

As part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is required to create a Student Success Plan.  The plan will describe how local, state and federal programs are aligned.  ODE is inviting school board members, district employees, teachers, parents and any other interested parties to attend one of ten stakeholder meetings to share ideas for the development of the Student…

Posted by Jennifer Hardin on

On May 31, Governor Kasich signed HB 299, which makes revisions to the Autism Scholarship program.  The bill makes two changes to the program.

  1. It expands the categories of individuals who can apply for the Autism Scholarship.
  2. It revises testing and graduation requirements for students in nonpublic schools, including those using state scholarships. 

Autism scholarship

The Autism Scholarship program, administered by the…

Posted by Megan Greulich on

On Feb. 3, the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) Office for Exceptional Children released a memo providing guidance for school districts in serving students with disabilities who are confined to community corrections facilities (CCF) and juvenile detention…