The Supreme Court ruling in the Forest Grove School District v. T.A. case was released this week. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see this ruling as changing much of anything in the world of special education disputes, at least as far as Connecticut is concerned. Essentially, the Supreme Court ruled that 20 U.S.C. 1415(i)(2)(C)(iii) continues […]
A free curriculum is available from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to address cyberbullying issues at NSBA. NSBA partnered with a group called CyberSmart to produce this curriculum (reported to be “research-based” for those concerned about those things), and it is described on the NSBA website as addressing all of the major issues: In developing these lessons, […]
The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are co-hosting a free webinar series beginning April 29, 2009 on management of food allergies in the schools. More information is available at SNF. The series continues on May 27 and June 3, with each webinar startiing at 2:30 p.m. EDT and lasting about […]
Free Seminar – May 4, 2009: 7:00-8:30 pm, Monday. Fairfield Public Library, Memorial Room, Second Floor,1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. This free seminar will address what every parent should know about their child’s basic special education rights in and outside of school. Hear both sides of the story and learn how attorneys representing […]
Parents sue Ohio school over bullied son’s suicide Associated Press; Fri Apr 3, 11:48 am ET MENTOR, Ohio – An Ohio couple has filed a lawsuit saying school officials failed to stop bullying that they claim led to their 17-year-old son’s suicide. The suit was filed in federal court last week, almost two years to the day when Eric […]
A brief review of pending legislation currently awaiting action in the Connecticut legislature: SB 6489: An Act Concerning a Plan for School Resource Officers. This law would be effective 7/1/09, but would require by 1/1/10 the Department of Education, Department of Children and Families, the Judicial Department, and the Connecticut School Resource Officer Association to […]
On March 27, 2009, the United States Department of Education issued a revised version of its document entitled Frequently Asked Questions About Section 504 and the Education of Children with Disabilities, updating it to include new information about the implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments (ADAA) effective January 1, 2009. In addition to the […]
A long-awaited memorandum from the State Department of Education describes in bullet-points the Department’s interpretation of the recent changes to the anti-bullying legislation found in Title 10 of the Connecticut General Statutes, and also adds a further gloss in the form of “best practices” for school districts to follow to improve school climate. Among the […]
In a vote taken April 1, 2009, all 30 of the committee members of the Joint Committee on Education present and voting voted in favor of SB 1142, An Act Concerning State Mandates on School Districts (two members were absent). However, substitute bill language was adopted by the committee addressing only the issue of the […]
Educators and other interested parties may wish to contact the Education Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly to express support for SB 1142, An Act Concerning Relief of State Mandates on School Districts. Among other provisions, this bill would finally bring Connecticut in line with other states and with the 2005 United States Supreme Court decision […]
