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Upon completion of a  Master's degree in Education Administration, I plan on becoming a curriculum coordinator for special education. (School District of Berlin, 2018)

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Step 2: Option 1: Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

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Step 2: Option 1: Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

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Budget cuts in public schools threaten the funding of special education programs. It may become harder to provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate education.  CEC provides different ways you can advocate for special education students.
When the IDEA law was passed it ensured that the federal government will pay for 40% of the cost to provide students with disabilities services. However congress has not lived up to this promise. This is not legal or ethical.

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Step 2 Option 4: Discrimination against Students

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Step 2 Option 4: Discrimination against Students

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Discrimination is not a topic one would think to be brought up in 2018 very often. However, it is. School districts often get caught up in legal problems a s a result of discriminating against students. Students have been discriminated against based on race, gender, disability, and immigration status. A particular topic that has been surfacing recently discusses New Jersey schools being sued for discriminated against immigrant students. Issues such as this violated the United States constitution on both the state and federal levels. All students have the right to a free and public education despite their differences.

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The ACLU of New Jersey is suing a dozen school districts in the state, including three in Camden County, saying they have discriminatory policies that prevent immigrant children from potentially getting an education.

The 12 school districts require parents to provide a New Jersey driver's license or other state-issued forms of identification that undocumented immigrants likely would not possess, in violation of both the state and federal constitutions, the ACLU says in its suit filed Thursday. Under current laws and policies, schools may only request proof of a child's age, residence, and immunization record when registering them for classes, the ACLU says.

"New Jersey's state Constitution calls for free public education, and that applies to every single child - no exceptions," ACLU-NJ staff attorney Elyla Huertas said in a statement. "In a state where one in five residents is foreign-born, at a time when our president has made the exclusion of immigrants a key part of his policy agenda, it's more important than ever for every school district in New Jersey to meet its obligations, both to New Jersey's families and to the Constitution."

In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that had denied undocumented immigrant children an education in the public school system. After a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Mexican school-age children who lived in Texas, the high court ruled that the law had violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. In a landmark ruling, the high court held that "education has a fundamental role in maintaining the fabric of our society" and that it "provides the basic tools by which individuals might lead economically productive lives to the benefit of us all."

The lawsuits were filed in state Superior Court in the individual counties where the districts are located, one month after thousands demonstrated in Washington to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies and separation of undocumented children from their parents at the Mexican border. The protest was organized by the American Civil Liberties Union and several other civil rights organizations.

Three of the 12 school districts that the New Jersey affiliate is suing are in Camden County: Bellmawr, Sterling Regional High School, and Winslow. Dan Long, an attorney who represents the Bellmawr and Winslow Township school districts, said they are "currently reviewing the lawsuits and have no further comment at this time."

Officials with the Sterling Regional High School district in Somerdale did not respond to calls for comment.

Sterling and Bellmawr were among the districts previously cited by ACLU-NJ for violations in 2014.

The lawsuits filed Thursday ask the court to order the 12 school districts to rescind the restrictive enrollment requirements and to pay legal fees.

The ACLU said it selected the 12 districts because they had the most restrictive policies among the more than 500 school districts across the state that were surveyed.

Over the last decade, the ACLU-NJ has conducted audits of school districts to determine whether they had restrictive policies, and in the last four years it sued 13 districts that the ACLU said were in violation of the law. All of the cases settled after the districts agreed to change their policies, the ACLU said.

The policies "add up to a quiet, daily injustice that allows discrimination to metastasize and that tells families, incorrectly and unconstitutionally, that they can't access the fundamental rights they're entitled to," said ACLU-NJ executive director Amol Sinha. "Public schools exist to educate all of a community's children."

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N.J. Schools Sued Over Policies Preventing Immigrant Student Enrollment

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The ACLU of New Jersey is suing a dozen school districts in the state, including three in Camden County, saying they have discriminatory policies that prevent immigrant children from potentially getting an education.

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Recently there has been a controversy across the nation about whether or not guns should be permitted in school. This particular periodical article discusses open carry in public schools in Michigan. This topic of gun laws has been a hot topic amongst media. However, it is an extremely popular topic in the field of education. With the recent school shootings, legislation has been brainstorming ways to keep our students safe. Gun laws are a legal issue, but can also become an ethical issue when the lives of others are at stake.

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Questions remain after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that two school districts have the right to ban guns from their schools.

In what looked to be a clear win for the Michigan Association of School Boards as well as gun control advocates, the state Supreme Court on Friday ruled 4-3 in favor of Ann Arbor and Clio school district policies that barred individuals from openly carrying a firearm on school grounds even if they held an exempted concealed pistol license.

Many saw the ruling as a green light for districts to pass their own similar legislation without fear of litigation. That likely is not the case, according to attorney and firearms law professor Steve Dulan.

Dulan, who also serves on the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners board of directors, said the ruling failed to adequately address why the school boards' policies did not fall under the umbrella of conflict preemption, which gives state policies precedence over those of smaller governing bodies. Determining whether the policies were conflict-preempted was "unnecessary," according to the court's written opinion.

"It was a missed opportunity to clarify the issue," Dulan said. "It looks like schools are allowed to make policies, however, there's an open question if those policies are in direct conflict state law-and that issue has yet to be re-litigated."

The court did rule on field preemption, stating school districts are not defined as a "local unit of government" and as such are not subject to their policies being overruled by the state. Michigan law prohibits a local unit of government from banning the possession of firearms.

"The Legislature has the authority to preempt school districts from adopting policies like the ones at issue that regulate firearms on school property. However, not only has the Legislature not done so, it has expressed its intent not to preempt such regulation," the court's opinion read.

Brad Banasik, legal counsel for the Michigan Association of School Boards, said the court's ruling hasn't really changed anything other than supporting and upholding the authority of school districts to adopt such policies.

"We respect the court's decision and following their rules and precedent, but on the same token we certainly don't want additional lawsuits filed against school districts," Banasik said. "We believe there is no place for firearms on school property, outside of the very limited exceptions that are included in the law."

Although it won't be a violation of state law for an individual openly carry a firearm on school property, districts can enforce their policies through trespass violations or other ordinances regulating unauthorized persons on school grounds.

Nick Ceglarek, Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District superintendent, said there has been some confusion around the law and that there is still some trepidation despite the court's decision.

"Districts are always cautious in establishing policy that may run counter to established laws. When there's question or indecision, we rely on court rulings," Ceglarek said. "Each local district is going to have to decide how they're going to approach this. Even if there is a chance a district is opening itself up to litigation, I think there's substantial cover based on the Supreme Court's ruling."

Justice Kurtis Wilder said in his dissent that it is only a question of when-if-this matter is brought before the court again.

"In order to fully resolve the ultimate issue before us ... it is necessary to determine whether those policies are in conflict with one or more statutes enacted by the Legislature," Wilder wrote. "The majority has provided only partial guidance and left lingering doubts."

Traverse City Area Public Schools dealt with the issue in 2014 when someone attended a board meeting legally carrying a firearm.

"When you see someone carrying a gun into a meeting, it raises your awareness level and then you come to grips with the fact that it's legal," TCAPS Superintendent Paul Soma said. "What can you do? There's not a lot of discussion to have at that point."

Soma has been outspoken against allowing guns on school grounds, but he said the current policies have worked out well for both sides.

"We've kind of settled into a pretty reasonable spot in having established a policy and practice that was respectful of the laws on the books and did the best job of creating a safe and secure environment," he said. "Who wants to keep getting into those kind of battles when we've found a reasonable and respectful place that advocates on both sides have accepted?"

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Open Carry Issue in Michigan Schools May Not Be Settled

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Questions remain after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that two school districts have the right to ban guns from their schools.

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How Budget Cuts Affect Special Education Programs
National Priorities Project

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By Blake Pappas
The cost of education for a child with disabilities can be double the amount needed for a child without disabilities. Many students with special needs require multiple services such as classroom aides, counseling, specialized equipment, or access to health professionals during the day. Special education programs are often underfunded, leading to poor outcomes for students and repercussions for schools and communities. Unfortunately, many school districts today are seeing budget cuts, and these cuts exacerbate the challenges faced by special education programs and the students they serve.

One way that many school districts attempt to cut costs in special education is by placing special needs students in mainstream classrooms. While this can be an effective tool to reduce spending, the effect on learning outcomes for special needs students can be negative and counterproductive.

The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, which became federal law in 1990, protects disabled students and provides for their equal access to education. It is important for special education teachers to know how to develop accurate plans for their students so they can gain the equal access guaranteed under federal law. By effectively developing these plans, called Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), they can help to protect their programs and students from some of the negative effects of budget cuts.

Even though students with disabilities are guaranteed equal access to education under the law, budget constraints often affect special education programs more severely than other programs. Already underfunded even in the best of budgetary times, these programs are now competing for ever scarcer funding.

For more:
Blake Pappas completed his undergraduate degree in Justice Studies from Arizona State University, has worked in habilitation therapy and higher education, and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Business. Photo by Kim Cofino.

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How Budget Cuts Affect Special Education Programs

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The cost of education for a child with disabilities can be double the amount needed for a child without disabilities. Many students with special needs require multiple services such as classroom aides, counseling, specialized equipment, or access to health professionals during the day.

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Students with disabilities deserve the same education opportunities as typically developing peers. These students thrive off of programs that targets life skills, vocational skills, and have an intense small group structure. As a current special education I have often been placed on the back burner when it comes to funding for field trips and other community projects. Most recently, I have a large amount of students in my classroom, and the district is discussing wether it is most appropriate to higher a third paraprofessional for my classroom, or open another unit at my school with a full staff. This essentially comes down to budget and money. Does the district have enough money to pay 2nd teacher, and fund another program? These types of budgeting is ultimately  unfair to the children.
IDEA 2004 states that the government should pay " 40% of the states special education costs" ( Bessette, 2018). Therefore, cutting funding for Special Education becomes a legal issue. 1 in 3 students with a disability do not finish high school, and 3 in 5 students with a disability do not finish high school. (n.d). With these alarming numbers, better efforts should be extended in order to ensure that students with disabilities get a quality education. Since I am working towards being a special education coordinator, I will work to ensure that the programs within my district will receive the best funding, and are rigorous, individualized, and will prepare the students for the future. This entire topic relates to my future career because I will have to ensure that students thrive in the education setting, despite government funding.
It is is crucial that I inform myself of the laws and legislation, in order to properly advocate for these special eduction programs and the students in them.

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Step 2: Option 1 National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)

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Step 2: Option 1 National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)

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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), protects the students education records, regardless of their disability. Parents have the right to this information, and those educating the child do not have the right to disclose this information to those who do not have an academic interest in the child.
Federal funds must support vocational education programs, according to the Vocational Education act of 1984 or the Perkins Act. Vocational training must be offered to students with a disability (NASET, 2018).

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Bessette, C.( 2018, August 25). Legislators, municipal leaders discuss special education cost issues. Day New London, CT

Hefler, J., & Philadelphia Inquirer. (2018, July 27). N.J. Schools Sued Over Policies Preventing Immigrant Student Enrollment. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/07/27/nj-schools-sued-over-policies-preventing-immigrant.html

How Budget Cuts Affect Special Education Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nationalpriorities.org/blog/2013/04/29/how-budget-cuts-affect-special-education-programs/

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.special-education-degree.net/budget-cuts/

Quealy, B. (2018, August 03). Open Carry Issue in Michigan Schools May Not Be Settled. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/08/03/open-carry-issue-in-michigan-schools-may.html

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Step 3: Rights of Students with Disabilities

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Step 3: Rights of Students with Disabilities

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Students with disabilities deserve just as much, if not more funding as typically developing students. When budget cuts are taking funds from special education, it becomes harder to provide these students with a free and appropriate public education.

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News Article

Legislators, municipal leaders discuss special education cost issues
By: Claire Bessette

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Angelo State University - Library Online Resources

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