Blog

Your Education Road Map

Politics K-12®

ESSA. Congress. State chiefs. School spending. Elections. Education Week reporters keep watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. Read more from this blog.

Federal

Betsy DeVos Releases Q&A Explaining Landmark Special Education Ruling

By Alyson Klein — December 07, 2017 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

School districts wondering about the legal implications of a major special education court case are getting some help from the U.S. Department of Education.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has released a question-and-answer document explaining the ruling in Endrew F. vs. Douglas County. The ruling, which came down in March, determined that districts have the obligation to provide students in special education with something beyond a minimal quality or “de minimis” education.

“The Supreme Court sent a strong and unanimous message: all children must be given an opportunity to make real progress in their learning environment - they cannot simply be passed along from year to year without meaningful improvement,” said DeVos. “For too long, too many students offered [individualized education programs] were denied that chance. I firmly believe all children, especially those with disabilities, must be provided the support needed to empower them to grow and achieve ambitious goals.”

Christina Samuels will have a more thorough explanation at On Special Education. But for now, here’s the document.


Related: A Commentary by Betsy DeVos: ‘Tolerating Low Expectations for Children With Disabilities Must End’

Related Tags: