Now We Are Sick

There’s Covid-19 in our house. We caught it because the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) wrote “may” instead of “must” into a special education guidance document. We caught it because our school district decided that “may” would equal no for them. We caught it because when forced to choose between abandoning our son’s education or … Continue ReadingNow We Are Sick

Inconvenient Metaphors: DeVos Confirmed! IDEA Website Down!

UPDATE: A spokesperson for the Department of Education sent me this (I updated the title as well) We were made aware of the problem with the site early this morning and  we are actively working to resolve. There have been server issues relating to this site going back to at least Jan. 27. We’re actively … Continue ReadingInconvenient Metaphors: DeVos Confirmed! IDEA Website Down!

IEP at SCOTUS: Endrew F. vs Douglas County

It’s almost impossible right now to keep up with all the stories circulating. Congress is defunding the ACA. The Republicans voted down an amendment against mandating coverage of people with pre-existing conditions, condemning millions of people to an early death, if that actually ends up being law. Donald Trump’s banana republic press conference demands a … Continue ReadingIEP at SCOTUS: Endrew F. vs Douglas County

SCOTUS – What’s a Free Appropriate Public Education?

Big case coming up next week about education for people with disabilities. “Special education” is mandated by the federal government but funded from the states and localities, and is often a place where school districts try to cut corners, provide the absolute legal minimum of services, and otherwise shirk their obligations. Here’s SCOTUSblog on the … Continue ReadingSCOTUS – What’s a Free Appropriate Public Education?