Earlier this month, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) issued guidance in the form of a Dear Colleague Letter that provides an overview of school districts’ responsibilities to address bullying of students with disabilities. Under IDEA, States and school districts are obligated to ensure that students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment.  This guidance specifically states that bullying of a student with disabilities, regardless of whether or not the bullying is related to the student’s disability, is considered a denial of FAPE if it results in the student not getting meaningful educational benefit.  

Read the Dear Colleague Letter and learn more about effective practices for preventing and addressing bullying on the U.S. Department of Education website.

In Fall 2011, New York State was awarded a grant from the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to address systemic barriers to employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

The New York State Partnerships in Employment Systems Change Project (NYS PIE) is designed to develop and sustain activities that improve opportunities for integrated, competitive employment for individuals with IDD, and in particular transition-aged youth and young adults with IDD. As they continue to refine their state work plan for the continuation of this project, a follow-up survey has been developed to help the project team to better understand progress made, lessons learned, and areas in need of additional attention. 

The survey will remain open until September 13, 2013. Results will be presented at the project’s quarterly NYS PIE Statewide Consortium meeting in October.  Information on how to get involved in this project, including participation in the Statewide Consortium, is included at the end of the survey.