Essential education reporting across America

Special education

More than a dozen school buses are parked by each other.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Politics & Policy
Chicago Public Schools says bus service will remain limited
Message to parents: ‘You don’t have to come back and keep asking.’
By Reema Amin
 
Mayor Brandon Johnson sits with Aidan Hughes at a mock broadcast studio at Southside Occupational Academy High School in Englewood. The school provides job training and life skills to older students with more challenging disabilities.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Chicago Public Schools considers opening more specialized programs for students with disabilities
Officials are considering opening more so-called specialty schools meant to help students with more challenging disabilities transition into the real world.
By Reema Amin
 
An adult tying a kid’s shoe. The shoe is red with blue laces.
From Chalkbeat New York First Person
My teenage son has autism. Here’s what I wish his teachers and therapists understood.
I have no formal training, but I’m an expert in my child.
By Jennifer Berger
 
More than a dozen school buses are parked by each other.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
A widespread NYC school bus worker strike has been averted. Here’s what it means for families.
The tentative contract agreement comes after tense negotiations and concerns a strike would disrupt the first few weeks of the school year.
By Julian Shen-Berro
 
The exterior and entrance to a building with a brown brick face, marked “Traverse Academy”
From Chalkbeat Colorado Mental Health in Schools
Traverse Academy, first-of-its-kind facility for students in mental health crisis, set to open soon
The Cherry Creek School District built the new facility in Aurora with $19 million in voter-approved bond funding.
By Melanie Asmar
 
The facade of Chicago Public Schools headquarters, with the district’s sign hanging on the wall behind windows with green silhouettes of students.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Chicago parents and educators want next special education chief to communicate more, improve staff training
Chicago’s office that manages special education hasn’t had a chief since June. Now the board of education is searching for the next department head and asking the public for its input on who the next chief should be.
By Samantha Smylie
 
A child in a blue shirt walks under an archway of blue and orange balloons, with other people in the background.
From Chalkbeat New York Eric Adams
Back to school for NYC’s nearly 900,000 students brings smiles and sweat
Students returned to the city’s nearly 1,600 schools on a sweltering Thursday as a possible bus strike loomed.
By Amy Zimmer, Michael Elsen-Rooney, and 2 more
 
A short yellow bus is parked on a street outside.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
NYC school bus service will run uninterrupted next week, despite looming strike: union official
A bus worker strike would impact roughly 80,000 students across 4,400 routes, according to the city’s education department.
By Julian Shen-Berro
 
The outside of McAuliffe International School, a middle school in Denver.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Politics & Policy
Improper supervision in McAuliffe seclusion rooms violated DPS policy, investigation finds
An attorney for fired principal Kurt Dennis disputes the findings and says he’s preparing to sue Denver Public Schools in federal court.
By Melanie Asmar
 
School buses and an American flag are at the front of North-Grand High School in Chicago, with school buses lined up in front of the campus.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
One week into the school year, more than 700 Chicago students with disabilities are waiting for bus service
Blaming a driver shortage, the district decided this year to limit bus transportation to students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness.
By Reema Amin
 
A New York City yellow school bus is parked next to the sidewalk.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
NYC school bus strike looms ahead of new year. What families should know.
A strike could impact roughly 80,000 students across 4,400 bus routes in the five boroughs, according to city officials.
By Julian Shen-Berro, Alex Zimmerman, and 1 more
 
School district officials sit behind a glass barrier. School board members are behind them on an elevated platform.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Chicago Public Schools said bus rides for most students with disabilities are under an hour — but others are still waiting for routes
District officials said 47 students with disabilities have bus rides longer than an hour. It’s a steep decline from last year when more than 3,000 had hour-plus commutes.
By Reema Amin
 
A man in a wheelchair looks at a book in his lap while in between two shelves filled with books.
From Chalkbeat New York New York City Department of Education
Most NYC schools aren’t fully accessible to students with physical disabilities, group says
Advocacy group says $1.25 billion in new spending would address major gaps that have left many families frustrated.
By Alex Zimmerman
 
Giovanny Navarro, wearing an orange formal shirt, sits at an office chair. Behind him are signs that say “Math=success” and “I heart math.” There also is a bookshelf and file cabinet behind him with colorful books. Navarro smiles toward the camera
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Meet Giovanny Navarro, one of Chicago Public Schools’ newest teachers
Navarro completed a year of training through Chicago Public Schools’ Teacher Residency program. Now he teaches as a special education teacher at Finkl Academy, where he previously worked as a paraprofessional.
By Max Lubbers
 
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, wearing a black suit and purple tie, speaks at a wooden City of Chicago podium during a press conference. There are Chicago and United States flags hanging behind him against a blue backdrop, along with a screen providing COVID information.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Chicago Public Schools says it met Aug. 21 deadline to train at least two staff members per campus in restraint, timeout
The Illinois State Board of Education has issued several warnings to Chicago Public Schools to comply with state law governing restraint and timeout. Chicago said that it is in compliance as of Monday.
By Samantha Smylie
 
Five people sit around a conference table with an American flag in the background.
From Chalkbeat Indiana Special education
Seclusion, restraint of Indiana students not accurately reported, audit finds
A lack of oversight has raised questions about whether schools are following Indiana law.
By Lee V. Gaines, WFYI
 
A short yellow bus is parked on a street outside.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
NYC school bus strike could disrupt start of year, Chancellor Banks warns
Banks said a strike could affect anywhere between 85,000 and 150,000 students. He’s “hopeful that we can avoid it.”
By Alex Zimmerman
 
Auon_tai_Anderson_McAuliffe_press_conference.jpg
From Chalkbeat Colorado Racial Justice
Colorado lawmaker wants to ban seclusion rooms in schools as Denver investigation continues
McAuliffe’s interim principal is on leave as an investigation into the school’s seclusion room continues.
By Erica Meltzer
 
A group of students wearing backpacks flanked by a fence and yellow school buses walk toward a school.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
Some NYC school bus temperatures rose to over 100 degrees amid heat wave, parents say
More than 90% of school buses have air conditioning this summer, according to city officials. But advocates warn the heat can be severe inside buses that don’t.
By Julian Shen-Berro
 
School bus at the front of North-Grand High School in Chicago in May 2019.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
8,000 Chicago Public Schools students won’t have bus service on first day of school
With only half of the 1,300 drivers needed to transport students who require bus service, Chicago said it will instead prioritize transportation for students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness.
By Reema Amin and Samantha Smylie
 
A woman in a black robe shakes hands with a man in a suit.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
Federal judge orders NYC to fix special education service and payment delays
The judge outlined 40 specific actions for the Department of Education to take, including assigning additional staffers to overdue cases.
By Alex Zimmerman and Yoav Gonen, THE CITY
 
A boy with a blue backpack runs across the street in front of a school building in Newark.
From Chalkbeat Newark Special education
Newark mothers of students with disabilities push through school year challenges
As the school year ends, mothers of students with disabilities want a better academic year for their kids despite looming concerns about their child’s physical and educational progress.
By Jessie Gomez
 
Young students cast long shadows on the sidewalk as they head in for their first day of school.
From Chalkbeat New York Student & School Performance
New York state wants to rethink how it evaluates schools. Here’s what could change.
The public health crisis paused state testing, impacting how the state typically evaluates schools.
By Reema Amin
 
A group of five students watch as popcorn pops.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
NYC often segregates students with significant disabilities. This new school aims to change that.
Brooklyn’s P.S. 958 has an unusual mission: to serve any child in its surrounding community, including those with disabilities who often land in separate schools.
By Alex Zimmerman
 
In the foreground, a student raises their hand. Their face is not visible. In the background, a teacher writes on the whiteboard in a middle school classroom.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s school board picks are coming up. These advocates want more transparency in the process.
In a Wednesday letter, the advocates asked the mayor’s office to do an open call for members, increase transparency around the qualifications for selection, and outline the administration’s goals for the composition of the school board.
By Max Lubbers
 
Classroom of empty desks and chairs.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Chicago’s department lead for special education, Stephanie Jones, is out
Chicago Public Schools announced that Stephanie Jones, department head for the district’s special education office, left the district on Friday.
By Samantha Smylie and Mila Koumpilova
 
A woman looks at papers on a table
From Chalkbeat Indiana Special education
Indiana parents are kept in the dark as schools isolate and restrain kids thousands of times
Parents across the state say that even when they are notified, the information they’re given about their child being secluded or restrained can lack details.
By Lee V. Gaines, WFYI
 
empty desks in an empty classroom
From Chalkbeat Chicago Special education
Chicago Public Schools under state watch for violating state’s restraint and timeout law
The Illinois State Board of Education has given Chicago Public Schools several warnings to comply with state law on restraint and seclusion since November. However, the district has yet to train all staff on restraint policies, stop restraining students who are not a danger to themselves or their peers, and notify parents within 24 hours when a student has been restrained.
By Samantha Smylie
 
Two photos: on the left, an empty room. On the right, a boy sits on a bed covering his face
From Chalkbeat Indiana Special education
Indiana isn’t holding schools accountable for forcibly isolating and restraining students
Some schools aren’t accurately reporting data about what’s supposed to be a last resort to protect the safety of students and others.
By Lee V. Gaines, WFYI
 
A close-up of children’s hands as they work on word puzzles.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
Nearly 10K NYC preschoolers with disabilities didn’t receive all required services last school year
Programs have long struggled to provide all children with the services they need, as they are legally required to do.
By Reema Amin
 
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