On April 17, 2020, Getting Smart profiled the Educating All Learners Alliance and its work providing resources educators working with students with disabilities during the COVID-19 crisis.
On April 16, 2020, Chalkbeat asked education leaders including Lauren Morando Rhim to weigh in on what schools and policymakers should be thinking about as they prepare for the eventual return of students to schools.
On April 9, 2020, the Oak Foundation highlighted the Center among its grantees supporting the education of students with disabilities during COVID-19, and also mentioned the Center’s involvement in the Educating All Learners Alliance.
As schools move online due to the coronavirus pandemic, an alliance of special education advocacy and innovation organizations is working together on a new resource hub for educators, administrators, families, and students.
On April 8, Edweek published a feature on the formation of the Educating All Learners Alliance, of which the Center is a founding partner.
On April 6, 2020, the Walton Family Foundation shared a blog post by Lauren Morando Rhim highlighting the ways in which the Center is supporting the education of students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 3, 2020, the Center submitted a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy Devos urging the Secretary against issuing any waivers under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehab Act) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The Center is extremely pleased the Department has clarified for states, districts and schools that the federal disability law provides sufficient flexibility to ensure all students, including students with disabilities, can benefit from remote education as communities determine the best approach to instruction during the COVID-19 crisis.
On March 21, 2020, Edweek wrote about changing federal guidance around educating students with disabilities during COVID-19, and the Center’s Lauren Morando Rhim and Wendy Tucker weighed in.
Senate Republicans have introduced the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to support states in their efforts to protect their citizens and to infuse cash into the economy. We wholeheartedly support these efforts. Unfortunately, the bill goes too far by empowering the Secretary of Education to suggest to Congress waivers that would eliminate protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (a.k.a. Section 504).