Special Education
This article offers a five-question quiz on this week's K-12 education news, helping readers review key developments and encouraging them to share results via social media.
Two Massachusetts families with children with disabilities attending Jewish day schools have filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging a state regulation that only allows private school students to receive public special education services at public schools or 'neutral' locations. The petitioners argue that the policy constitutes a punitive condition on constitutional rights and request the Court to clarify lower court divisions regarding the application of state aid prohibition clauses.
The U.S. federal government announced it will establish the first national alert system for missing children and adults with autism, aiming to strengthen response coordination among emergency personnel, first responders, and community partners. Data shows that as of 2025, 52 autism-related elopement deaths have occurred, with approximately 53% involving children aged 5 to 9, and 5 incidents occurring in school settings. Educational institutions can address this issue by documenting elopement risks in individualized education programs, reporting incidents, and taking preventive measures.
This week's education news focuses on: Education Secretary McMahon defends the transfer of special education responsibilities, stating that federal law guarantees remain unchanged; HHS plans to significantly relax Head Start regulations and cancel most funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs; Senate panel passes child online safety bill; research shows outcomes-based contracts improve academic performance; Google AI summaries raise concerns in schools.
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved a bipartisan bill (S. 5046) on Thursday by a vote of 13-9, which would prohibit the U.S. Department of Education from transferring its four offices to other federal agencies. Despite Democrats' attempt to add an amendment blocking the transfer of the Office for Civil Rights, the amendment was rejected by a vote of 12-11. The bill now heads to a full Senate vote.