Harris Beach has a team of four attorneys paying close attention to issues and news in the special education arena. Based on their knowledge of the field, they have assembled a list of issues for school districts, special...more
Under New York’s law and regulations, there are several well-settled guiding principles for physically interacting with students with disabilities: corporal punishment is prohibited; the use of aversive interventions has been...more
New York’s State Education Department recently issued a recommendation that school districts provide special education services to some students with disabilities through age 22: an additional year that will likely impact...more
On March 21, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that could significantly impact how special education claims against public school districts are litigated.
In Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools, the Court...more
When a Committee on Special Education (CSE) classifies a child as a student with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the committee must place the student within one of thirteen classification...more
On June 20, 2020, the New York State Education Department (SED) released two highly anticipated supplemental Question and Answer documents regarding special education, following guidance previously released on March 27 and...more
On Tuesday, June 9th, the New York State Department of Health (“DOH”) released an interim advisory containing guidelines for delivering in-person special education services and instruction while helping to protect against the...more
New York state’s mandated school closures due to COVID-19 have resulted in a number of questions related to special education. One such question relates to conducting special education evaluations. Under the regulations,...more
As we are all experiencing, statewide school closures due to COVID-19 are substantially affecting our schools and students. There are particular implications for students with disabilities who have individualized education...more
On August 16, 2019, the New York State Education Department (“SED”) released additional guidance on implementing the recent changes to New York state’s Public Health Law, which repealed the religious exemption from...more
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) recently released guidance related to students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. As we informed you through a Legal Alert issued in September 2017, the Commissioner...more