special education

Sincere Davis, a Kansas City high school junior with an intellectual disability, used to doubt that she’d be able to achieve her passion. The Transition Academy offered her job training and connected her with a media internship, as she pursues her career goals of making documentaries.

A group of Kansas City parents is calling on lawmakers to protect the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amid changes to education at the federal level.

In a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said the layoffs have brought a human cost that cannot be tolerated.

Foster children moving to new homes might mean a new school district. That means education records, course credits and other information need to be transferred to a new school. That can delay enrollment.

Missouri is the only state that still operates separate day schools for special education. But the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled are struggling with declining enrollment, with 36% fewer students over the past 16 years.

Kim Riley, founder of The Transition Academy, said that Kansas City needs to do more to close the employment gap between people with a disability and people without. She's set her sights on founding a new school to support students in the region.

Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson urged districts to cancel breaks or extend the school year to make up for snow days. He is also proposing half-day summer school for young students who are struggling in reading and math.

In the past year, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has promoted a “journey to inclusion,” as a better way to teach students with disabilities. It’s a newer practice for Nebraska schools, and administrators are confident it will work.