Ed Dept to implement Obama-era equity rules in IDEA policy

More than two months after a court decision rebuking U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s decision to delay by two years the implementation of an Obama-era policy addressing racial disparities in school discipline practices and special education placement, the U.S. Department of Education announced this week that states should now comply with the original regulations issued in 2016, the Washington Post reports.Under the regulations imposed in the final days of the Obama administration, states must follow stricter guidelines regarding the reporting of the demographic makeup of special education populations to make sure students of color are not included disproportionately. These guidelines must now be applied to calculations for the 2018-2019 school year, according to a notice posted on May 20, 2019. The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, an advocacy group for children with disabilities, had filed a lawsuit opposing DeVos’ original plan to delay implementation of the regulation by two years because of concerns over the possibility of creating quotas. However, the court ruled on March 7 that the decision to delay did not provide a “reasoned explanation” for the delay and failed to account for the cost involved.