Special Education

"By age 2, we could not leave him alone for even a second for fear he would hurt himself, his sister or our pets. Then we discovered sensory processing disorder."
As the decision to reopen schools has felt driven more by politics than by science, parents are left to determine whether or not their children will be safe. For low-income or single parents or parents of a child with a disability, the decision is even harder.
After a previous HuffPost report, the state has issued guidance saying such practices are illegal, violating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and state Department of Education regulations.
Special education groups are taking issue with waivers from schools — but the districts say they're necessary in this unprecedented time.
Schools are struggling to educate 7 million students who receive special education services in the absence of physical classrooms.
Advocates of disabled students are calling the legislation "shameful" and saying it is exploiting a crisis to potentially roll back necessary protections.
Per pupil spending has decreased sharply, by 40% per child from 1994 to 2014.
“Every child with a disability must have appropriate access to special education and related services that meet his or her unique needs,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said.
Many former special education students struggle to find good-paying jobs, and high schools are partly to blame.