<![CDATA[Special Education Action: North Central and Midwest States]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/s/north-central-and-midwest-stateshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0gl9!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe412ffc4-95b6-4d59-8ea0-64bdf652d53f_512x512.pngSpecial Education Action: North Central and Midwest Stateshttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/s/north-central-and-midwest-statesSubstackFri, 15 May 2026 19:48:43 GMT<![CDATA[Office for Civil Rights Requires Livonia Public Schools (MI) to Address 504 Plan, Recess, and Placement Concerns]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/office-for-civil-rights-requires-livonia-ublic-schoolshttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/office-for-civil-rights-requires-livonia-ublic-schoolsWed, 06 May 2026 18:20:50 GMTApril 27, 2026, U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a letter to Livonia Public Schools (LPS) in Michigan, after investigating a complaint filed by a parent on behalf of a student who has a 504 plan.

April 27, 2026, Letter of Finding for OCR Case Number 15-23-1526
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OCR investigated three allegations:

  1. “The District failed to provide certain accommodations documented in the Student’s Section 504 plan, including a) books for home use; b) breaks; and c) positioning at the front of the line and front of the school bus;

  2. “The District did not allow the Student to play with his peers during recess because of his disability-related behaviors; and

  3. “The District retaliated against the Student by not providing suspension document and homework after the April 27, 2023, suspension because of a prior OCR complaint.”

OCR found insufficient evidence to support the retaliation allegation but did identify concerns with the first two allegations.

Before OCR completed its investigation into those issues, LPS expressed interest in resolving the complaint. April 24, 2026, LPS entered into a resolution agreement with OCR after OCR determined its investigation had identified issues that could be addressed through a resolution agreement.

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]]><![CDATA[Office for Civil Rights Concludes Investigation into Chicago Public School District 299 (IL), Identifies Disability Discrimination]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/office-for-civil-rights-concludes-investigation-into-chicago-public-schools-district-299https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/office-for-civil-rights-concludes-investigation-into-chicago-public-schools-district-299Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:17:04 GMTMarch 10, 2026, U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) concluded a disability discrimination investigation into Chicago Public Schools District #299 (CPSD). OCR’s letter of findings notes that during the 2021–2022 school year CPSD converted a special‑education resource room at one school into a COVID‑19 care room and relocated spec…

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]]><![CDATA[U.S. Department of Justice Finds Special School District of St. Louis County Violated Disability Rights]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/us-department-of-justice-finds-specialhttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/us-department-of-justice-finds-specialMon, 23 Feb 2026 21:50:35 GMTFebruary 23, 2026, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released findings of its investigation into the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD), Missouri. DOJ concluded that SSD’s seclusion and restraint practices violated Title II of Americans with Disabilities Act. The investigation showed that SSD routinely confined and restrained students for non‑dangerous behaviors and often kept them isolated for hours.

“Shocking Overuse of Seclusion and Restraint”

DOJ found that SSD abused restraint and seclusion, using it as a routine response to student behavior. For example, “In one incident, a second-grade student was secluded for one and a half hours for knocking over her teacher’s coffee. In another, a seclusion was used because a second-grade student refused to go into music class. Another student was secluded for three and a half hours for drawing on her chair, cursing, and “being disrespectful.””

  • During the 2022‑23 and 2023‑24 school years, SSD secluded over 300 students almost 4,000 times. At Litzsinger School (which had fewer than 100 students), 91% of students were secluded and the school used seclusion 1,667 times.

  • SSD restrained nearly 150 students 777 times. One student at Northview High School was restrained 372 times over two years.

  • Children as young as first and second grade were secluded dozens of times, resulting in hundreds of hours of lost instructional time: “Ackerman secluded a first grader 49 times for over 20 hours total. The District secluded four second graders more than 40 times each. These five students experienced a combined total of 308 reported seclusions for a total of 111 hours of lost instructional time.”

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]]><![CDATA[Department of Justice Enters into Settlement Agreement with Michigan's Montcalm Area Intermediate School District]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/department-of-justice-enters-into-settlement-agreement-with-michigans-montcalm-area-intermediate-school-districthttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/department-of-justice-enters-into-settlement-agreement-with-michigans-montcalm-area-intermediate-school-districtWed, 09 Jul 2025 10:02:19 GMTJuly 3, 2025, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a June 27, 2025, settlement agreement it entered into with Montcalm Area Intermediate School District (MAISD). In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said:

“Students with disabilities should never be discriminated against by experiencing the trauma of seclusion or improper restraint.

“Parents have the right to expect that the school systems they entrust with educating their children do not instead punish their children.”

DOJ found over 2,400 instances of seclusion and restraint—routinely used for discipline, not just emergencies—violating Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Key Findings

According to the settlement agreement, DOJ opened an investigation March 22, 2023, and found that MAISD “discriminated against students on the basis of disability by denying them the opportunity to participate in or benefit from the District’s education program . . . and failing to make reasonable modifications to avoid disability discrimination in the District’s program.”

DOJ investigation uncovered:

  • Excessive use: Over 2,400 documented incidents of seclusion and restraint.

  • Misuse: “Seclusion and restraint used improperly, including using emergency crisis responses as punishment for normal classroom discipline issues.”

  • Discriminatory impact: Students with disabilities were discriminated against, constituting a civil-rights violation under ADA.

Examples of Key Corrective Actions

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]]><![CDATA[Milwaukee Montessori School Enters Into Settlement with Department of Justice—and Files Court Motion Against Parents Referenced in DOJ-MMS Settlement]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/milwaukee-montessori-school-enters-into-settlement-with-department-of-justicehttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/milwaukee-montessori-school-enters-into-settlement-with-department-of-justiceFri, 09 May 2025 22:32:47 GMTMay 7, 2025, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into a settlement agreement with Milwaukee Montessori School (MMS) in Milwaukee, WI, to resolve allegations that the school violated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to DOJ, the school “agreed to injunctive relief and payment of $290,000 to resolve allegations that it failed to provid…

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]]><![CDATA[Idaho State Department of Education in Noncompliance for Third Consecutive Year]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/idaho-in-noncompliance-for-third-consecutive-yearhttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/idaho-in-noncompliance-for-third-consecutive-yearFri, 15 Nov 2024 10:56:58 GMTNovember 12, 2024, Valerie Williams, Director of U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) announced that OSEP issued another Differentiated Monitoring and support (DMS) letter and report to Idaho State Department of Education (ISDE). This marks the third year in a row OSEP has found an Idaho agency in noncompliance with…

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]]><![CDATA[U.S. Dept. of Education Finds Nevada Department of Education at Fault for Noncompliance with IDEA; USDOE Issues Differentiated Monitoring and Support Findings]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/us-dept-of-education-finds-nevadahttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/us-dept-of-education-finds-nevadaWed, 13 Nov 2024 11:02:15 GMTNevada Department of Education (NDE) was found to be in noncompliance with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

October 4, 2024, United States Department of Education (USDOE) Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued a differentiated monitoring support (DMS) letter and report addressing the findings of its investigation of NDE. Th…

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]]><![CDATA[U.S. Department of Justice Finds Lincoln Public Schools Discriminates Against Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/u-s-department-of-justice-finds-lincoln-public-schools-discriminates-against-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-studentshttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/u-s-department-of-justice-finds-lincoln-public-schools-discriminates-against-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-studentsWed, 14 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMTFebruary 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that "Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) in Lincoln, Nebraska, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by denying some deaf and hard of hearing students an equal opportunity to attend their neighborhood schools."

DOJ's investigation found that LPS requires students it believes need Am…

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]]><![CDATA[U.S. Dept. of Education Issues Differentiated Monitoring and Support Letter to Michigan]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/u-s-dept-of-education-addresses-idea-noncompliance-in-michiganhttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/u-s-dept-of-education-addresses-idea-noncompliance-in-michiganTue, 13 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMTOctober 12, 2023, U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued a DMS close-out letter to Michigan Department of Education (MDE), with a spreadsheet titled “Summary of Monitoring Priorities and Outcomes”. OSEP Director Valerie Williams said the letter served to “provide an update on the status of the findings an…

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]]><![CDATA[Return to School Virtual IEP Guidance Document]]>https://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/return-to-school-virtual-iep-guidance-documenthttps://www.specialeducationaction.com/p/return-to-school-virtual-iep-guidance-documentTue, 10 Nov 2020 11:00:00 GMTWhether you live in Fairfax County, Virginia, or in a different county or state, view this video. It’s an opportunity to 1) learn what another school division is doing; 2) identify behind-the-scenes practices that are a) problematic and/or b) not occurring according to the training; and 3) to compare against your own division’s practices to a) bring ide…

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