Special education

Lack of access to school buildings has long been a barrier for students with physical disabilities.

Parents and advocates say traditional open houses may fill up quickly or gloss over special education.

Some advocates call for a larger overhaul of the system for determining who is eligible for special education.

The group will begin meeting in early November and report to the legislature by Jan. 6.

Message to parents: ‘You don’t have to come back and keep asking.’

Officials are considering opening more so-called specialty schools meant to help students with more challenging disabilities transition into the real world.

The tentative contract agreement comes after tense negotiations and concerns a strike would disrupt the first few weeks of the school year.

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.

A bus worker strike would impact roughly 80,000 students across 4,400 routes, according to the city’s education department.

An attorney for fired principal Kurt Dennis disputes the findings and says he’s preparing to sue Denver Public Schools in federal court.

Blaming a driver shortage, the district decided this year to limit bus transportation to students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness.

A strike could impact roughly 80,000 students across 4,400 bus routes in the five boroughs, according to city officials.

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.

Advocacy group says $1.25 billion in new spending would address major gaps that have left many families frustrated.

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.

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.

A lack of oversight has raised questions about whether schools are following Indiana law.