A nationally representative August study by the University of Southern California has found that lower-income families are less likely to report the availability of mental health services in their schools compared to their White and higher-income counterparts. The study also found “striking patterns” relating chronic absenteeism and academic outcomes to…
In an effort to help destigmatize mental health challenges among students, a recently signed California law allows the term ”emotional disability″ to replace “emotional disturbance” for special education services. The measure, which takes effect January 1, 2024, does not change the definition of the term and does not alter school-based…
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that about 70% of surveyed schools experienced special education teacher vacancies in the 2023-24 school year. In fact, about half of special education teachers leave the profession within the first five years of teaching, according to officials from CEC and CASE at…
According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), school-based support and increased understanding are essential when a student experiences the death of a friend or loved one. While each student will be affected differently depending on his or her developmental level, cultural beliefs, personal characteristics, family situation, and previous…
On February, 28, 2024 A coalition of educators, researchers, and advocates launched the National Newcomer Network Policy Platform to encourage support for newly arrived students to the U.S. and to make recommendations for their civil rights protections and services. The recommendations call for federal legislation and dedicated state funding to…
A company that provides a wide range of school safety software services to over 5,300 school districts nationwide left exposed approximately four million records, including detailed school incident response plans with layouts of schools or classrooms that included information on infrastructure issues like security gaps and malfunctioning cameras. Also included…
On Jan. 14, 2024, Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger died from injuries sustained in the January 4th morning shooting during the breakfast program for students. It has been reported that Marburger acted heroically as he attempted to talk the shooter down and to distract him so students and staff…
Filling special education staffing positions continues to be very difficult task, including teaching and nonteaching (classroom aide) jobs. Although numbers nationwide show a smaller percentage of U.S. public schools reported feeling understaffed compared to the start of last school year, 45% versus 53%. In a ddition to the needs in…
As reported by K-12 Dive, a new guide from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) purports that a two-phase approach that relies on data schools already have available can help educators identify a diverse pipeline of gifted and talented students. The guide encourages districts eschew a referral-based system and use the…
On September 8, 2023, the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) released a free toolkit to help school nurses and other school personnel respond to drug overdoses on campuses, including using naloxone to try to reverse an opioid overdose. The toolkit offers resources to assist school nurses and other school leaders in…
