U.S. DOE offers guidance on bullying of special-needs students

A recent blog post from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) includes resources that offer guidance to educators on bullying of students with disabilities.

Michael Yudin, acting assistant secretary for the DOE’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, writes that schools have an obligation to ensure that a student with disabilities who is bullied continues to receive FAPE (free appropriate public education) as outlined in his or her IEP.

“IEPs, as well as 504 plans, can be useful in outlining specialized approaches for preventing and responding to bullying, as well as providing additional supports and services to students with disabilities,” Yudin added.

Among the tips in the resources is to collect and analyze data on bullying behaviors. Doing so can “provide a clearer picture of what is happening in school and school activities, guide planning of prevention, instruction and intervention efforts, and inform decision making on the effectiveness of current policies and practices over time,” according to one of the documents accessible in the blog post.   

To read the blog post and its accompanying resources in full, click here.