What Every Special Educator Must Know About Legal Literacy (with definitions)
Special education teachers operate at the intersection of instruction and legal compliance. Unlike most educators, their decisions are not only pedagogical—they are legal. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is not just a teaching tool; it is a legally binding document. A misstep in service provision or documentation is not just […]
Free Training for Principals on Special Education
Lead the Change: A No-Cost Opportunity for Principals Ready to Level Up Leading a school is not easy. The demands are high, the expectations even higher, and ensuring every student receives the support they need? That takes more than good intentions; it takes the right knowledge, tools, and community. That’s […]
Top Ten Things Administrators Must Know & Do Post-A.J.T. Decision
In the unanimous June 12, 2025, Supreme Court decision in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, the Court eliminates the “bad faith or gross misjudgment” standard, lowering the bar for Section 504 and ADA claims in education. Schools must now meet the same anti-discrimination standards as other public entities, with failures to provide […]
Unanimous Decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in AJT v. Osseo Area Schools
At 10:00 on June 12, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision, in AJ.T. v. Osseo Area Schools. The decision, which was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, sided with a student with a disability suing the Osseo public schools for not doing enough to accommodate her rare form […]
William A. v. Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (2025): When Accommodations are not enough.
According to the IDEA, “the term ‘special education’ means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings…(IDEA, 20 USC § 29). The […]
How Brown v. Board of Education Was Necessary for PL 94-142
On the seventy-first anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision (May 17, 1954), it is important to recognize that while the ruling did not specifically address disability rights, it was instrumental in laying the legal and constitutional groundwork for Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children […]
Supreme Court Case, April 28, 2025
Case Summary: A.J.T. v. Osseo Area SchoolsIssue at Stake:The core question in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools is whether students with disabilities must meet a uniquely high standard—proving “bad faith or gross misjudgment”—to prevail in disability discrimination claims under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with […]
Special Education to the Department of Health and Human Services?
President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will assume responsibility for students with disabilities has sparked widespread backlash and confusion among disability advocates, educators, and legal experts. The brief announcement, made during an unrelated event about a fighter jet, offered no specifics on […]
PBS NewsHour Story on Special Education
The PBS NewsHour recently interviewed one of the writers of SpedLawBlog about potential cuts to special education and the removal of the U.S. Department of Education. It is worth a watch.
Texas v. Becerra: The effort to end Section 504
On September 26, 2024, Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of Texas filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general from the states of Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, […]
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