After seventeen years of litigation, the District of Columbia has regained control over its busses. The busses transport children who are in the Special Education program. The federal supervision over the busses has been ended. There have been quite a few news stories that have something to do with Special Education and the busses that transport the students to and from school. Most of the stories are about a student who was injured or otherwise mistreated while aboard a school bus. Some were about parents who were upset that their child was not dropped off where they were supposed to … Continue reading →

Across the nation, Americans were asked to cast their vote on issues relating to special education. Voters were asked about funding for special education in several propositions. You may have voted for a candidate because you agreed with his or her views about Special Education. Here is a brief review of the results that could affect your child’s education. In St. Louis County, Missouri, Proposition S was on the ballot. It asked voters if they wanted to allow a 19 cent tax levy to take effect. The money would be used for the Special School District of St. Louis County, … Continue reading →

Mia Love is a Republican in Utah who is running for Congress. She wants to eliminate the Department of Education and the funding that states receive from IDEA. Her opponent, Democrat Jim Matheson points out that doing so would decimate Special Education. Jim Matheson and Mia Love are candidates from Utah who are running for Congress. Whichever one of them wins the election will have the ability to make an impact upon not only their state but the entire nation. Parents who have children that have special needs, or who are enrolled in Special Education, should pay close attention to … Continue reading →

Often, students who are in a Special Education program ride busses that will pick them up, and drop them off, at their door. Parents in California are concerned about a school district’s decision to begin “clustering” Special Education students at bus stops. Is this really what is best for the students? There are some very good reasons for the typical system that provides bussing to students who are in Special Education programs. Having a smaller bus, with less students on it, can make things less stressful for students who have an autism spectrum disorder, or who have sensory or social … Continue reading →

At the end of the previous school year, principal David Madden got in trouble after making some very unprofessional comments about students who were in the Special Education program. He was suspended, but allowed to return to his job. He has since decided to resign. In July of 2012 there was a meeting that took place at Oxford Area High School, which is a public school in Pennsylvania. The meeting included principal David Madden, a student, and the student’s mother. The meeting also included Lisa Lightner, who is from the Arc of Chester County. During this meeting, principal David Madden … Continue reading →

Last school year, parents whose children attended a public school district in Missouri were upset. Their kids, who were part of the Special Education program, were being taught in trailers instead of classrooms. Despite parents threats to remove their children from the school district, nothing has changed now that the new school year has begun. Just a few months ago, as the school year was coming to a close, there was a controversy happening. The Lebanon School District, a public school district in Missouri, had placed the students who were in the Special Education program into two trailers. In other … Continue reading →

There is a growing movement of parents who want to have cameras placed into Special Education classrooms. Students who are non-verbal cannot tell their parent what happened at school, but the cameras would be able to record the events for them. The presence of a camera could prevent situations where students are abused by the teacher. Earlier this year, Stuart Chaifetz started getting notes sent home from school with his son, Akian. The notes said he was having violent outbursts at school, which was very unlike him. Akian has autism, and has difficulties with verbal communication, so he couldn’t simply … Continue reading →

Is this the first school year that your child will be officially a part of a Special Education program? There are a lot of things that parents need to learn. One important thing to become familiar with is the IEP. It is a plan that guides what will happen with your child when he or she is at school. IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. It is a written plan that is designed to meet the specific special educational needs that your child has. All students who are part of a Special Education program are supposed to have an IEP. … Continue reading →

When things work perfectly, no one has much to say about it. When things go wrong, this makes the news! This is probably why we are hearing so many stories about school bussing situations that didn’t go as expected. Sometimes, it takes a bit of negative publicity for a school to improve aspects of their bussing system that are failing. Every school year, there are stories in the news about situations where the drivers of school busses that were intended to pick up and drop off students who have special needs have failed preform this task in a safe and … Continue reading →

School vouchers are often used to enable parents of children who have special needs to move their child from a school that does not meet their child’s needs to a school that can. Earlier this year, Ohio expanded its voucher program to include all kids with special needs. Here is an update on how that program is going. In February of 2012, the state of Ohio expanded its school voucher program. Previous to the expansion, the voucher was available for students who had autism, only. The expansion opened up the availability of the vouchers to any student, who is attending … Continue reading →