Friday Snippets: 07/25/08 - The Candidates and Special Education

The transition has begun to the new site. I worked on
building it some this week and it is starting to take shape quite
nicely. I hope to have it up an running by about the middle of next
month - the tentative logo is below.

Also, I have new contact information, including a new e-mail, which you can find here.





Anyway, to the snippets.

School finance lawsuit goes forward in Alabama challenging its property tax system.

Meanwhile, a hearing on the school funding suit in Georgia took place this week.

Schools are being used as a pawn in the California same sex marriage debate.

Parents like single gender classes in SC so there is going to be more of it (but it doesn't make them constitutional).

Also, perhaps school finance reform in SC as well.

Colorado Christian University (where I lived in their apartments once and where the Morning Star Center was founded) won a federal financing decision against the State of Colorado.

They plan to anoint a new flagship
in Texas. I like their style and I wish other states would follow suit
- Illinois, for instance, could use a second flagship (Go SIU!). 

N.Y. school attorneys are still being punished for the scandal. Five more this week.

They are voting for more paddling in Georgia.

They are still negotiating in Hawaii over teacher drug testing.

W.V. considering year-round schooling.

Bible course standards approved in Texas.



And around the Blogosphere this week:

The big news this week is that COPA was ruled unconstitutional by the 3rd Circuit. Mark W. has the details. I will try to read the case next week and give some thoughts.

Mark also has a Florida court requiring parental permission for pledge opt outs. And he thinks there may be some implications of the 4th Circuit court allowing non-denominational prayer at city meetings.

Mike Tully at the Gate has censorship of a student newspaper in San Diego.

Making waves this week was the social networking communications ban. I pretty much wholly agree with Scott McLeod at DI on the issue. 

Mitchell R. has some NY education department decisions that are worth a look. Parent unhappy with teacher. Joint custody residency.



Wrightslaw has "when the school says NO"



Finally, as Charles Fox notes, the candidates have not said much on disability issues (they will speak some to the issue this Saturday ).




So for your Friday Fun ... ASK THE CANDIDATE!! (photo credit: Time)

Jim
Gerl is planning to ask the candidates about Special Education Law. I
want to get 100% behind this idea because I really do feel like we
don't know much when it comes to special education from the candidates.




So, your Friday Fun assignment is to go to Jim's blog and leave a comment with your special education question(s) for the candidates. I plan to do so this afternoon.



And, after that as a reward, you can check out Lori Miller Fox's "You Know When You've Been a Parent of a Child with Special Needs too Long When ..." - Great Stuff Lori.

Google Document Link: Friday Snippets: 07/25/08 - The Candidates and Special Education

Comments

[Jim]

Justin,

Thanks for getting behind my presidential candidates SpEd Law forum.

JG