CURMUDGUCATION: Top States for Special Ed Lawsuits

CURMUDGUCATION: Top States for Special Ed Lawsuits:

Top States for Special Ed Lawsuits

At Education Week, Christina Samuels reports on recent research showing which states find themselves most often in court over special education issues.

The paper, "Frequency Trends of Court Decisions Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," was recently published in the Journal of Special Education Leadership. And it shows that ten states are responsible for almost two thirds of the lawsuits filed.

Let's go to the chart:

Note that some of the states have high total numbers, but don't crack the top ten in suits-per-capita. In other words, California has a huge number of lawsuits because it has a huge number of people. DC, on the other hand, is apparently is apparently doing its best to make sure that every special education student has her own personal lawsuit.

It's particularly in light of my piece yesterday that Pennsylvania ranks high both ways. Pennsylvania's parents have found ample reason to sue the state on behalf of their students with special needs, and Pennsylvania is now responding with a program that will insure that SWSN get even fewer resources. I suspect that the new initiative will not help Pennsylvania with its lawsuit problem; I don't think CURMUDGUCATION: Top States for Special Ed Lawsuits: