New NJ Law Intends to Limit Transitions Among Schools for Kids with Disablities

In  local special education news, Gov. Christie signed Senate Bill 1949, which, according to the Assembly Democrats’ press release,  “directs the State Board of Education to create regulations requiring school districts to develop a plan to establish stability in special education programming. The plan must take into account the consistency of the location, curriculum, and staffing in the provision of special education programs and services.”

In other words, lots of kids have difficulty transitioning from school to school and, like much in the special education world, it’s true for kids with disabilities, only more so.  So the bill, which passed through the Legislature at lightning speed, directs Child Study Teams to “establish stability in special education programming” by relocating students as infrequently as possible.

From the bill:

The State board regulations shall also require that when developing an individualized education program (IEP) [for] with the parent or guardian of a student who is prone to regression due to frequent changes in location including, but not limited to, students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, the IEP team shall consider, among other factors, the consistency of the location of services and that the parent’s preference of location be given primary consideration against other factors when determining in-district special education placements.