As an advocate for students with disabilities and charter schools, I am appalled at the current situation at Franklin Towne Charter High School and urge the Philadelphia School Board to pursue steps to close the school due to discriminatory practices dating back to 2016.
While CLE is not advocating for the IDEA to be amended during the current Congress, we do believe that, at the appropriate time, Representative Molinaro’s bill would be a big step in the right direction in making sure that parents of students with disabilities are able to meaningfully participate in the IEP process.
Given the Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Board’s decision to approve the charter application of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, we at the Center for Learner Equity feel it is imperative to reinforce that charter schools are public schools that must be accessible and inclusive for students with disabilities and, we believe, must be non-sectarian.
CLE supports ban opposing the use of corporal punishment in all public schools by passing the Protecting All Students in Schools Act.
In response to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) release of new guidance packages designed to clarify schools’ obligations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the use of disciplinary practices on students with disabilities, the Center for Learner Equity (CLE) releases a statement.
Lauren Morando Rhim, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Learner Equity (“the Center”) endorses Valerie Williams as Director of the Office of Special Education.
CLE applauds Federal District Court Judge Yeakel’s ruling striking down Texas’ Executive Order prohibiting mask mandates in schools. We are thrilled that these Texas students will now be able to safely access their education, and we hope this court decision is a wake-up call to the other states that have implemented similar discriminatory prohibitions.
As Congress and the White House work to finalize the Build Back Better Act, CLE applauds them for considering the needs of students with disabilities. We strongly them to maintain language in the bill to ensure that the civil rights of these students are protected.
In response to state mandates prohibiting local school districts from implementing mask requirements in public K-12 schools, The Center for Learner Equity calls upon state leaders to reverse those decisions and allow districts and local authorities to implement policies that will afford safer, equal access to school for all students, including those with disabilities.
The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) is thrilled with Secretary Cardona’s announcement today that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will collect data via the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) from all public school districts and their schools, two years in a row, for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years.
