20 Years After the 2004 Reauthorization

of the IDEA

In the most recent Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) blog, OSERS Assistant Secretary, Glenna Wright Gallo marks the 20th anniversary of the IDEA's 2004 reauthorization on December 3 and reflects on the law’s evolution from merely ensuring basic school access to championing inclusive practices across all age groups over the past two decades.

Glenna writes, "The 2004 reauthorization introduced key improvements, including the expectation that those providing special education services should be highly qualified, the increased state and local accountability and assessment measures, and the alignment of special education with general education standards set by each state. These changes improved the educational outcomes for students with disabilities and have led to increased graduation rates and improved access to the general education curriculum, while also expanding early intervention (EI) services and emphasizing the provision of EI in the natural environment, to the maximum extent appropriate."

However, many educators at the time struggled to implement the spirit of the law effectively.

To read all of Glenna's excellent blog, click here.

US Seeks to End Subminimum Wage for Workers with Disabilities

The Department of Labor is proposing to abolish below-minimum-wage pay for people with disabilities, targeting a long-controversial program whose fate will now rest with the incoming administration.

Since the New Deal, federal law has authorized the department to permit paying particular employees a lower “special minimum wage” on the grounds that their disabilities impair their productivity. That law, passed half a century before the Americans with Disabilities Act, was meant to shield people with disabilities from being deemed too expensive to employ. But it’s been denounced by advocates as a form of legalized discrimination that rips off and marginalizes those it purports to protect.

In a proposed rule being announced Tuesday, the Biden administration says the Labor Department should phase out the exemption over three years, first ceasing to issue new certificates allowing employers to pay less than the normal $7.25 hourly wage floor, and then requiring those already providing subminimum compensation to end that practice.

To read more, click here.

Have You Heard About the Newark Conception to Cradle Program?

Run by the Office of Early Childhood for the Newark Board of Education, this program consists of social workers dedicated to offering support, guidance, resources, and referrals to new and expecting parents in Newark, with children from birth to age three.

If you or someone you know could benefit from these services, please use the QR code flyer above to register in the language of your choice and a social worker will follow up with you.