Leading in a Lonely World Podcast: Meet Jamie Pagliaro, a Leader Who has Made His “Passion” for Helping Others His Life’s Work
Top 10 Actions (or Inactions), that Spur Special Education Impartial Hearing Requests for School Districts
In this episode of S.O.S. Strategies for Operation Special Education, Poyner Spruill LLP education attorney Rachel Nicholas sits down with North Carolina’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green for an in-depth...more
PA Supreme Court Provides Flexibility to Municipal and School Boards under the Sunshine Act with Its Ruling in Coleman v. Parkland School District -Background - A dispute arose regarding the 2021 amendments to the...more
Court Upholds Hearing Officer’s Decision and Grants Full Attorneys’ Fees After School Misses IDEA Appeal Deadline - A.L.L., A.L. v. Laboratory Charter School, 2025 WL 3269941 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 24, 2025) - The parent, A.L., filed...more
Pennsylvania Expands School Notification Requirements for Weapons Incidents - Last month, Governor Shapiro signed Act No. 2025-44, which amends Pennsylvania’s School Code. Specifically, the new law requires Pennsylvania...more
The Dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education Continues - The Trump Administration is continuing its efforts to shutter the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) by delegating the responsibility of administering several...more
Eastern District of PA Finds that Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act Does Not Create a Stand-Alone Federal Cause of Action Based Upon Denial of Educational Records - Sandra S. v. Upper Darby Sch. Dist., No. CV 25-2389, 2025 WL...more
As public school districts approach the end of the fiscal year, the financial strain on special education programs is impossible to ignore. Across the country, administrators are sounding the alarm that a decrease in...more
While the 2024 Title IX regulations, in their short lifespan, had specific provisions about the role of members of the IEP team in determining supportive measures and other aspects of the process, the reinstatement of the...more
The term “neurodivergent” is widely used in education, social, and political settings, but is often misunderstood or narrowly linked to conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In fact, it encompasses a wide range of...more
Parents Matthew Hartzell and Courtny Roberts (“Parents”) enrolled their son (“Child”) in the Scranton School District (“District”) beginning in the 2021-2022 school year. The Child’s placement was in a special education class...more
The following is a brief description of acts that were passed during the 2025 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut school leaders. ...more
A ruling by the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) has clarified that school divisions have the legal right to seek attorney’s fees from special education advocates who repeatedly engage in frivolous or improper challenges....more
Pennsylvania Recognizes 15 Postsecondary Institutions for Efforts to Support Student Mental Health and Prevent Suicide - Pennsylvania Department of Education Press Release - May 27, 2025 - Philadelphia, PA - At Temple...more
On June 12, 2025, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held that claims based on educational services brought under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of...more
Third Circuit Upholds Award of Attorneys’ Fees Despite Student’s Loss Before Administrative Law Judge - Augustyn v. Wall Twp. Bd. of Educ., No. 23-3156, 2025 WL 1352259 (3d Cir. May 9, 2025) - The student was unsuccessful...more
Must a student with a disability prove that their school acted in “bad faith” to win a discrimination case? Until now, courts in some parts of the country said yes, requiring disabled students to meet a higher standard than...more
In its recently adjourned session, the General Assembly passed two major bills regarding special education. Although the Governor has not yet signed these bills, we wanted to provide a brief and non-exhaustive overview of the...more
As attorneys representing families and students with disabilities, we are often asked about the differences between compensatory education and Extended School Year (“ESY”) services for students with disabilities. While both...more
A New Initiative to Support Transition from Early Intervention to Kindergarten - The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) jointly launched a new initiative known...more
On April 21, 2025, New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Commissioner Kevin Dehmer testified before the Assembly Budget Committee to present the Department’s FY 2026 budget proposal. The proposal outlines a $22.2 billion...more
The Uncertain Future of Special Education: Presidential Authority and the Proposed Shift to HHS - With the United States Department of Education in a state of flux at the national level, one question that looms large is the...more
Court Allows Supplementation of Record in Special Education Appeal, Weighing Child Find Obligations. Q.H. by and through Regan H. v. Scranton School Dist., 2025 WL 419529 (M.D. Pa. Feb. 6, 2025)...more
Ohio Implements New Technology Policy Across All Public Schools - As the role of technology continues to evolve, the policies governing it must also follow suit. As of July 1, 2025, every public school in Ohio will be forced...more
Generally, independent schools intentionally refrain from participating in the majority of federal funding programs, preserving their ability to ensure the educational program is provided in a manner that is reflective of...more
We save futures – and despite the uncertainty associated with President Trump’s decision to dismantle the Department of Education – our commitments remain the same. The better question, however, is how attorneys who represent...more