From Education Week:

At least two states have received federal permission to cut back on the money they spend on special education, and officials at the U.S. Department of Education are considering a request from a third.

Iowa and Kansas have both won permission for the funding cuts, which can be granted under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when states are struggling financially. South Carolina’s request is pending.

Special education advocates say this is the first time they’re aware that such economic hardship waivers have been granted. With states facing record budget shortfalls and soaring special education costs, one education finance expert said, more waiver requests may be coming.

More information here.

Related post here.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

As school districts across the nation spend their federal stimulus money, some disability advocates say a loophole in the federal law has allowed districts to cheat students out of the very special education services the money was meant to bolster.

A federal rule allows districts to use their stimulus dollars to reduce the amount of local money a district spends on special education, allowing districts to use special ed funding to reduce other costs. Districts say the provision allows them to improve education for all students, but advocates worry the districts may be setting a precedent that could jeopardize special education allocations in the future.

“It’s an atrocity,” said Laura Kaloi, public policy director for the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The money was meant for students receiving special education, not as a way for districts to cut back on how much they spend on those students, she said.

From the Columbus Dispatch:

For many Ohio school districts, the recent influx of federal stimulus money has doubled the federal dollars they receive for special education. New state regulations are making it easier for them to use the extra cash to shore up their shaky budgets, and disability rights advocates are crying foul.

Advocates say Ohio is cheating vulnerable students, and claim the state has taken the most extreme approach of any state in allowing local districts to divert the money for other purposes.

“It just seems completely mind-blowing to me,” said Jennifer Cohen, a policy analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based New America Foundation. “I think it’s sneaky, and I know there are a lot of special-education advocates out there who are upset about the implications.”

Earlier post here.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Wisconsin officials have rejected plans by the Greenfield School District to use federal special ed stimulus funding to build seclusion rooms for students with disabilities, and has informed districts statewide that the funds may not be used for this purpose.

School district officials said the areas were needed to provide teachers with a quiet spot to work with disruptive students or calm agitated ones. Parents of students with disabilities have spoken out against the use of seclusion areas, and legislation has been proposed at the state and federal levels to regulate and curb seclusion practices.

From the Muskegon [MI] Chronicle:

Public school superintendent Steve Cousins writes that special education is the largest underfunded mandate for Michigan school districts.  While Michigan works to provide special-education services to a wider range of people than any other state, lack of federal and state funding puts the burden on local districts and causes a pattern of inequity, he says. An excerpt:

Today, students with disabilities are just part of the rich fabric that makes up the American public school system. Their talents and unique perspectives add substance to the educational experience of all children, and we are better for it. It is a legacy for which we all should be proud. It is one that is uniquely American in its breadth and depth.

Steve Cousins is superintendent of Reeths-Puffer Schools.

(Photo from Muskegon Chronicle)

From 60 Minutes, AP, Chicago Sun-Times:

Senior presidential adviser David Axelrod and his wife Susan appeared on 60 Minutes yesterday to talk about their family’s 28-year struggle with epilepsy.

Daughter Lauren is one of three million Americans living with the disease.  — more than the number of Americans who have Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis combined. About a third of them don’t respond to treatment.

“Epilepsy is like terrorism of the brain. You don’t know when it’s going to strike, where you’re going to be,” David Axelrod told correspondent Katie Couric.

Axelrod and his wife are part of a movement that is trying to jumpstart research to find a cure. They say the disease is not getting the attention it deserves.

See also:

Axelrod remains mindful of daughter with epilepsy — AP

Axelrod’s daughter: ‘Why does Obama need so much help?’ — Chicago Sun-Times

Previous posts here.

(Photo from 60 Minutes video)

From the San Francisco Examiner:

The San Francisco school district is increasing its special education budget by $2 million this year, at a time when the district is seeing a steep increase in autism diagnoses. The district saw a 22 percent increase in students diagnosed with autism between 2007 and 2008, even as its total student enrollment declined slightly.

School commissioner Rachel Norton said she hopes spending money on early intervention will benefit both students and the district. “If we spend the money now, it will help save money later,” said Norton, whose daughter has autism.