Blog

Your Education Road Map

Politics K-12®

ESSA. Congress. State chiefs. School spending. Elections. Education Week reporters keep watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. Read more from this blog.

Special Education

What Biden’s Pick for Ed. Secretary Discussed With Disability Rights Advocates

By Evie Blad — January 13, 2021 2 min read
Miguel Cardona, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Education, speaks after being introduced at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, as Biden, right, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, look on.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Advocates for students with disabilities met with President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for education secretary this week to voice concerns about issues ranging from school discipline to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on special education services.

If confirmed by the Senate to the cabinet role, current Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona could play a significant role in special education at a time when advocates fear that many students with disabilities have been left behind during rolling school closures and remote instruction.

For all of the talk of issues like charter schools after Cardona was announced as Biden’s choice, Cardona’s impact on special education could be much more significant. Biden has pledged to “fully fund” the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act within 10 years, and he’s promised to make civil rights a priority.

In the meeting with representatives from dozens of organizations, Cardona “affirmed participants’ comments that we must challenge a deficit mentality, noting that all students have diverse abilities and their abilities make schools better,” according to a summary provided by the Biden transition team. “He himself has seen firsthand how schools with diverse populations created a culture of community.”

Here are a few issues discussed at the meeting, according to the transition team.

Equity and the COVID-19 Crisis: Families and disability rights organizations have long sounded alarms about whether schools have provided adequate special education services. Those concerns went into overdrive last spring when schools around the country closed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“Participants noted the disproportionate effects the pandemic has exacerbated for students with disabilities, particularly around access and equity,” the summary of Tuesday’s meeting said.

Families have told Education Week about struggles to get remote learning apps to work with adaptive technologies, like screen readers. They’ve had difficulties accessing therapies and services mandated in students’ special education plans. And they’ve expressed concern about compensatory services needed to make up for interrupted learning time.

School districts, meanwhile, have said it is difficult to meet some of the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act during an unprecedented time for schools . Last year, former education secretary Betsy DeVos opposed waivers from the special education law except in a few narrow instances, however, and Congress has not authorized sweeping waivers from the IDEA.

School Discipline for Students With Disabilities: Federal data show students with disabilities are disciplined at school at higher rates than their peers, and that imbalance is even more pronounced for students of color.

Groups like the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights have called for the reinstatement of Obama-era civil rights guidance on school discipline, which the Trump administration rescinded.

The Trump administration also sought to delay a federal rule concerning how districts identify minority students for special education, discipline them, or place them in restrictive settings. That effort was later halted by a judge.

Higher Education: Representatives at the meeting also discussed concerns about access to higher education and employment opportunities, the transition team said.

That discussion included topics like financial aid and universal design for students with disabilities.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Special Education Video Inside an Inclusive Classroom: How Two Teachers Work Together
This model for inclusive education benefits students of all abilities, and the teachers instructing them.
1 min read
Special Education Using Technology for Students in Special Education: What the Feds Want Schools to Know
Assistive technology can improve outcomes for students in special education, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
4 min read
Black students using laptop in the lab with white female teacher- including a female student with special needs.
E+/Getty
Special Education Q&A Schools Should Boost Inclusion of Students With Disabilities, Special Olympics Leader Says
Schools have work to do to ensure students with intellectual and developmental disabilities feel a sense of belonging, Tim Shriver said.
6 min read
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver greets a child at one of the organization’s events.
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver greets a child at one of the organization’s events.
Courtesy of Special Olympics
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on the Science of Reading for Students with Disabilities
This Spotlight will empower you with strategies to apply the science of reading to support students with learning differences and more.