The stimulus bill provision that was reported by COPAA to have been withdrawn as per our 3/23 blog post found its way back into the bill. The provision threatens to alter the rights of special needs children and parents during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
You may have seen the 4/4 NY Times article summarizing the issue and what's at stake. I am enclosing a link to the NY Times article here.
The passage of the new federal law with this problematic provision could result in U.S. Secretary Betsy DeVos waiving special education rules (particularly those under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) as school districts struggle to educate children during the ongoing crisis.
Secretary DeVos has 30 days from the law's passage to ask Congress for the authority for waivers from the IDEA.
We are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide further updates soon.