The Fourth Circuit’s decision in D.C. v. Fairfax County School Board, No. 23-1854 (4th Cir. 2026), is a direct and unambiguous reminder of a principle that continues to control special education litigation: if the substance of a claim is the denial of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), the Individuals with […]
The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is a nonprofit organization that is the largest legal advocacy for persons with disabilities in the U.S. In January, 2022, NDRN published “Out of the Shadows: Informal removals of children with disabilities.” We believe that this booklet should be required reading for all teachers […]
Special education leadership right now feels like triage. Backlogs. Staffing gaps. Compliance pressure. Parent concerns. Escalating needs. And all of it happening while you’re trying to build systems that actually work. If you’re a special education director, coordinator, or district leader, you don’t need more theory. You need structure. Tools. […]
District Decision Tree: Cell Phone Bans & Students with Disabilities Purpose:To ensure any cell phone restriction complies with IDEA, Section 504, and ADA, preserves access to FAPE, and avoids predictable legal exposure. For every student who needs an exception, there should be a meeting. If the student is on an IEP, […]
This is part one of a two-part blog post on cell phone bans. This part talks about all the ways cell phones are used as assistive technology. Part two, which is in the process of being written, will describe a decision tree for districts on how to determine if a […]
The confusion here is far more conceptual than legal. Short answer: No. IDEA does not require that an “AT evaluation” or “AT assessment” be listed as a discrete item on a Permission to Evaluate (PTE) or Permission to Reevaluate (PTR) in every case. A district is not out of compliance simply because it uses a consultation-based, […]
At the SpedLawBlog North compound, we’re feeling generous and are sharing materials for those who teach special education law. For everyone else, the video listed as #5 below is well worth your time—at a minimum, watch that. In June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area […]
For years, districts have debated whether virtual special education services could truly match the quality of in-person supports. After the chaos of 2020 and the patchwork solutions that followed, the field finally has what it lacked: evidence. Parallel Learning’s newly released 2024–2025 Outcomes Report puts numbers behind the question of whether virtual SDI […]
November 29, 1975 50 Years Ago Today Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, stands as one of the most consequential civil-rights laws in U.S. history, but its passage was neither inevitable nor uncontested. Before 1975, millions of children with disabilities were denied even the […]
When Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), it marked one of the most transformative moments in American public education. For the first time, students with disabilities were guaranteed the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), and their parents were […]
David Bateman and Parallel Learning Announce Free Webinar: Navigating Uncertainty — A Washington Update for Special Education Leaders Date: October 21, 2025Time: 3:00–3:45 PM (ET) This 45-minute session will explore how special education providers can respond to major shifts at the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) during the […]
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