Special Education

Centennial School helps interns translate theory to practice and become better teachers

May 9 2024 - 10:00am

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.

A Deaf Student Says His School District Failed Him. The Supreme Court Will Decide

Jan 20 2023 - 2:30pm

"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

Jan 20 2023 - 2:30pm

“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.  

Special Education Law Symposium: New Horizons (June 19-24, 2022)

Feb 24 2022 - 12:15pm

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

Oct 29 2020 - 9:15am

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

Sep 17 2020 - 1:15pm

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.

Kangas Awarded Spencer Foundation Grant

Jul 31 2020 - 8:15am

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."