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disability rights in school discipline

A continuing subject that tracks developments in how schools enforce policies affecting students with disabilities, particularly regarding restraint, seclusion, and discriminatory practices.

Michigan third-grade reading scores hit 12-year low

2026-09-04

Michigan third-grade reading proficiency fell to 38.2% on the state's 2026 standardized test — the lowest rate in the 12-year history of the assessment, according to results released Friday and reported by the Associated Press via Bridge Michigan. The slide follows a decade of state-led reading reforms and broader declines across the elementary grades.

Michigan schools use restraint and seclusion thousands of times a year

2026-08-14

Michigan schools physically restrain students or place them in seclusion thousands of times a year, according to a Bridge Michigan report published by the Associated Press. Many of the students affected are children with disabilities. The practices continue despite an almost 10-year-old state law that makes clear schools should only consider such measures in emergencies, with disagreement persisting over whether new legislation is needed.

Education Department rescinds disparate impact rule for schools

2026-07-23

The U.S. Education Department said Thursday it will no longer consider school policies that disproportionately harm one group of students as discriminatory unless the discrimination is intentional, rescinding a decades-long standard for civil rights enforcement.