One in 10 students receives special education services, which include using different approaches to learning, offering emotional support and providing medical assistance. Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia (difficulty learning math) represent the largest category of California students in special education – about 45 percent.
Citing an “ever-increasing” number of complaints about the bullying of students with disabilities, the federal government issued a letter this week reminding schools of their legal responsibility to stop such bullying or risk violating federal anti-discrimination laws.
For decades, the state Department of Education has provided free braille and large-print textbooks to visually impaired students. But under the new school finance law, spending authority has shifted from Sacramento to school districts, including the responsibility for choosing and purchasing general education textbooks.
Proposing a fundamental change in the way the California Department of Education operates, a report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office Thursday suggested the department move beyond its current focus on federal compliance, an emphasis it said school districts find "increasingly reactive and punitive."
