AOTS Group

10/14/2025

Layoffs will leave no more than a handful of staffers in the agency's special education office, jeopardizing oversight of the nation's programs for students with disabilities, advocates say.

08/01/2025

01/31/2025

President Trump issued an executive order to find out what education funds he can legally rescind based on curriculum he doesn’t like. Existing law already answers that question — nothing.

12/17/2024

🌟 Empowering Parents: Understanding Functional Behavioral Assessments 🌟

As special education advocates, it’s critical for parents to understand the tools available to support their child’s success in school. This newly released guidance on Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) from the U.S. Department of Education (2024) is a very helpful.

🔑 Why is this document important? FBAs are a powerful tool to identify why a child engages in challenging behaviors and to develop positive, proactive strategies to support their success—whether your child has an IEP or not. This guidance:

Breaks down how FBAs can improve learning environments.
Explains when and how FBAs should be conducted.
Highlights the importance of collaboration between schools and families.
For parents, this means greater clarity and confidence when advocating for appropriate behavior supports, minimizing exclusionary discipline like suspensions, and ensuring schools meet your child's needs.

💡 Understanding FBAs = Empowered Advocacy
Let’s work together to ensure every child has access to the tools they need to thrive. Reach out if you need help navigating this process or understanding how an FBA can benefit your child.



https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/using-functional-behavioral-assessments-to-create-supportive-learning-environments/

10/15/2024

Organized as a series of six briefs, a new report from the Center for Learner Equity finds a devastating lack of access to the opportunities that make college possible. In the 2020-21 academic year, just 4.4% of charter school students with disabilities and 2.8% of those in traditional schools took Advanced Placement classes, versus 21% and 15% of general education students, respectively. Just 2.6% of charter school special education students and 3.4% of those in district-run schools took dual-enrollment college and university courses, versus 11.5% and 8% of their general education classmates.

New analysis of federal civil rights data finds stark disparities in advanced courses, dual enrollment classes and college-admission tests.

10/11/2024

I have noticed a significant rise in the suspension and expulsion of disabled children, particularly when schools are either pushing for more restrictive placements or struggling with inadequate staffing. The frequency and underlying reasons for these suspensions are deeply concerning.

In a new policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics is speaking out about the harms of school suspensions and expulsions and their disproportionate impact on students with disabilities.