Special Education
Centennial School helps interns translate theory to practice and become better teachers
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Among the students happily throwing their mortarboards in the air at May’s commencement ceremony will be College of Education (COE) graduate students Lauren Kovacs and Jenele Vadelund. The pair will receive their master's degrees in Special Education. Both women currently work at the Centennial School where they are mentored by more seasoned educators. As teacher interns, they are able to apply their graduate coursework to the challenges facing today's students.
Kimberly McFadden Receives Hammill Institute Doctoral Fellowship
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McFadden's research focuses on word reading intervention for students with reading difficulty in the upper grades.
Special Education doctoral student Kimberly McFadden has received a competitive Hammill Institute on Disabilities Doctoral Fellowship.
A Deaf Student Says His School District Failed Him. The Supreme Court Will Decide
"Perry A. Zirkel, a professor emeritus of law and education at Lehigh University and a leading expert on special education law, said in an interview that he considers the Supreme Court’s decision to take up this case one more example of the justices sidestepping some of the big issues in special education while settling arcane questions under the IDEA about access to the courts."
SCOTUS hears case that could change IDEA dispute resolution
“One of the unfortunate parts of the legalization of special ed is that the few cases that go to the Supreme Court tend to not be what most stakeholders — whether they’re school psychologists, special ed teachers, taxpayers or parents of kids with disabilities — want for legal clarification,” said Perry Zirkel, a special education law expert and emeritus professor at Lehigh University.
K-12 Dive: Ed Department begins review of often misunderstood Section 504 rules
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A recent article by K-12 Dive cites Perry A. Zirkel's findings in regards to reevaluating Section 504.
Special Education Law Symposium: New Horizons (June 19-24, 2022)
Lehigh University’s annual, week-long Special Education Law Symposium returns in June, building on the success of its recent (2021) symposium, which swelled in registrations to 339, a 70% increase over its last (2019) on-campus iteration. Registrants for this second (2021) virtual symposium via Zoom webinar hailed from 38 states and the District of Columbia.
Due Process Hearing and Written State Complaint Activity for COVID-19 Issues: A Six-Month Snapshot
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In addition to the alternative forms of dispute resolution under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the two decisional avenues are adjudicative and investigative. The adjudicative avenue starts with a due process hearing (DPH) and culminates in court proceedings. The investigative avenue is the written state complaints (WSC) process, which provides for judicial appeals in only the minority of states (e.g., Zirkel, 2019). COVID-19 represents a new context of the ongoing issues that are subject to resolution in these two decisional avenues.
As Schools Return, Kids with Special Needs are Left Behind
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Under IDEA, students with disabilities are still entitled to compensatory services once the school year begins, even if school hasn’t officially reopened in person, said Perry Zirkel, Ph.D., J.D., professor emeritus of education and law at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. He recommends requesting a meeting at the beginning of the school year with your child’s IEP (individualized education program) team, so that you can meet and determine your child’s present level of performance.
As special education students return to school, what are they owed?
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While the agency’s attempt to differentiate between compensatory and “Covid recovery services” might be well-intentioned, the “differentiation is not all that clear,” said Perry Zirkel, a professor emeritus of education and law at Lehigh University, who frequently blogs about special education.
Kangas Awarded Spencer Foundation Grant
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Dr. Sara Kangas, assistant professor in Lehigh's Special Education program, is the recipient of a Small Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation. The project is funded ($40,766) for one year and focuses on the barriers English learners with disabilities experience on their journey to reclassification. The title of the funded project is "When English Learners with Disabilities Become Long-Term English Learners."