New Federal Funding Bill Pours Money into School Safety & Early Education
March 23, 2018
In this week’s top story, new federal funding, which includes a 5.5% increase in the Ed. Department’s budget, is aimed at expanding access and resources for school-based mental health services, increasing special education grants under IDEA, and more. On Monday, the Texas Education Agency released a draft strategic special education plan based on thousands of responses from parents and advocates and is calling for another round of feedback before submitting the plan to the federal government in April. In other news, all 17 seniors at NYC’s Success Academy charter school have been accepted to 4-year colleges, a warmhearted carpool karaoke video of moms and their children with Down Syndrome gained lots of attention on social media, new research shows brain stimulation can impact motor skills of children with cerebral palsy, and in Utah, parents of a boy with Down Syndrome are suing the Boy Scouts of America for voiding their son’s merit badges. All that and more in this week’s AcceliBEAT!
New Federal Funding Bill Pours Money into School Safety & Early Education, with Smaller Bumps for Charters & Other Dept Programs
Overall, the Education Department would get $70.9 billion under the bill, a $3.9 billion, or 5.5 percent, increase — the largest boost the department has seen in recent years.
In New Plan, Texas Education Agency Vows Special Education Overhaul with Limited Dollars
After gathering thousands of responses from parents and advocates, the Texas Education Agency has sketched a new plan for educating kids with disabilities — with limited money.
National Youth Violence Prevention Week (March 19-23)
National Youth Violence Prevention Week (March 19-23), organized by Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) and Sandy Hook Promise, raises awareness and educates the public on effective ways to prevent or reduce youth violence.
How Success Academy Got Its First Seniors to College
All 17 seniors in the first graduating class of the city’s largest charter network have gotten into four-year colleges.
Students with Emotional Disabilities: Facts About This Vulnerable Population
The intense focus on Cruz’s mental health history in the wake of the Feb. 14 school massacre has worried some of those who work directly with students who have mental health needs, such as those receiving special education for an “emotional disturbance,” the official term used in federal special education law.
These Mothers and Their Children Recorded a Carpool Karaoke with a Twist
These mothers and their children recorded a carpool karaoke with a twist – they want to “show the world just how ordinary and fun life with Down’s Syndrome is and how they wouldn’t change a thing”.
Autism Symptoms Rarely Isolated, CDC Researchers Say
In an analysis of records on almost 1,900 kids on the spectrum, researchers found that over 95 percent presented with at least one condition in addition to autism.
Family Sues After Boy Scouts Strip Merit Badges from Boy with Down Syndrome
A Utah man is suing the Irving-based Boy Scouts of America after the organization voided every merit badge his son — who has Down syndrome — has earned, blocking the 15-year-old’s path to becoming an Eagle Scout.
Brain Stimulation May Benefit Kids with Cerebral Palsy, Study Finds
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers found that stimulating targeted areas of the brain with a mild electrical current can enhance the motor skills of children with cerebral palsy.
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