A recent video-gone-viral of a school resource officer’s interaction with a student in a Columbia, South Carolina classroom highlights the potential issues that may arise when student discipline and the criminal justice system collide in the educational environment. The presence of officers in schools may go a long way in creating a safe environment in which teachers can teach and students can … [Read more...] about To Serve and Protect Our Children – U.S. DOJ Speaks On The Role of Security Officers, SROs, and School Police
OSERS Issues Guidance on IEP Goals Inconsistent With Current Case Law, May Create Unrealistic Expectation
OSERS has issued new guidance about IEP goals in a Dear Colleague Letter dated November 16, 2015, that appears to set the standard very high for what school districts are supposed to do in IEP goals. More specifically, the guidance provides “we expect annual IEP goals to be aligned with State academic standards for the grade in which a child is enrolled.” In addition, the guidance provides that … [Read more...] about OSERS Issues Guidance on IEP Goals Inconsistent With Current Case Law, May Create Unrealistic Expectation
Third Circuit Opens the Door to an Exception to Stay-Put in the Case of Transfer Students
In an interesting case out of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Court, in an unpublished decision, creates a narrow exception to the pendency or stay-put requirements when a parent files for Due Process under the IDEA. In the case of J.F. v. Byram Township Board of Education, the Court found that when a student moves to a new school district and the parent then files for due process, the … [Read more...] about Third Circuit Opens the Door to an Exception to Stay-Put in the Case of Transfer Students
OSERS Guidance on Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia Raises Potential Concerns for Schools
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has recently issued guidance on dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, advocating for the use of those specific diagnostic terms, rather than the identification of the student-specific pattern of deficiencies and/or weaknesses. According to the letter, parents, advocacy groups, and national disability organizations believe that … [Read more...] about OSERS Guidance on Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia Raises Potential Concerns for Schools
Pennsylvania Looks for Clarity in the Law as Superior Court Addresses Complex Surrogacy Case
This week, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that a Surrogacy Agreement is enforceable in Pennsylvania. In Baby S., 2015, Pa Super 244, a couple who wished to become parents agreed to use a gestational carrier to form their family through Assisted Reproductive Technology. When one of the Intended Parents changed their mind, the question became who ultimately was responsible for and had … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Looks for Clarity in the Law as Superior Court Addresses Complex Surrogacy Case
Should College Accreditation Depend on Finances?
The ski-nosed comedian Bob Hope once said, “A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.” When the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) revoked its accreditation of Sojourner-Douglass College in Baltimore, Maryland because of its inadequate financial resources, the college desperately needed the money. Sojourner-Douglass already owed the … [Read more...] about Should College Accreditation Depend on Finances?
