MiPAAC

06/26/2026

Join the 2026 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, taking place virtually on July 16–17. This annual conference brings together attorneys, advocates, educators, and families to explore current legal issues, student rights, and strategies for advancing educational equity.

📅 July 16–17, 2026
💻 Virtual Conference
⏰ Early bird registration ends June 30

Whether you're a parent, advocate, educator, or attorney, opportunities like this help strengthen our collective efforts to ensure every student receives the supports, services, and protections they deserve.

🔗 Learn more and register: https://lawyers4students.com/src

06/25/2026

As lawmakers finalize Michigan’s School Aid budget, students with disabilities must remain a priority.
We thank Tim Kelly - State Representative and Senator Darrin Camilleri for their commitment to supporting special education students and for helping build momentum behind the MI Blueprint.
Now, RISE coalition partners are urging lawmakers to take two important steps:
Preserve the MI Blueprint intent language in the final FY27 budget.
Establish a $43 million High Cost Fund to help districts meet the needs of students who require the most intensive services and supports.
Michigan has a plan. We have momentum. Now is the time to act.
Our kids can’t wait.
Read the RISE coalition’s letter: https://tinyurl.com/RISE-MIBlueprint-SupportLetter

06/25/2026

📢 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐈𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

TODAY - (June 25) disability and education advocates across the country are urging Congress to speak out against efforts to move the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) from the U.S. Department of Education to HHS and transfer education civil rights enforcement responsibilities from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the Department of Justice.

☎️ Take Action

Contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and urge them to publicly oppose these transfers and support keeping OSERS and OCR within the U.S. Department of Education.

🔗 Use the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) script and links: https://www.copaa.org/page/TakeAction

Students with disabilities deserve strong protections, strong systems, and meaningful opportunities to succeed.

06/24/2026

𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) and join nearly 600 disability, civil rights, and education organizations in opposing the Administration's efforts to transfer key functions of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to HHS and education civil rights enforcement responsibilities from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the Department of Justice through Interagency Agreements (IAAs).

Why does this matter?

📚 IDEA is an education law, not a medical program.
⚖️ Civil rights protections require strong, accessible enforcement.
🏛️ Families need clear pathways for accountability when states and schools fail to meet their obligations.
🚸 Students with disabilities deserve consistent protections regardless of where they live.

For decades, the U.S. Department of Education has provided the expertise, guidance, monitoring, and enforcement that help ensure students receive the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) guaranteed under IDEA.

Fragmenting these responsibilities risks creating a patchwork of oversight and weakening the systems families rely on.

Students with disabilities deserve strong protections, strong systems, and meaningful opportunities to succeed.

🔗 Read the coalition statement:
https://autismsociety.org/broad-coalition-of-disability-civil-rights-and-education-organizations-denounces-eds-latest-transfers-of-core-functions/

06/19/2026

This , we honor the ongoing pursuit of freedom, equity, and justice. And, we recognize that these efforts are deeply connected across movements.

As disability advocate Isabella Kres-Nash reminds us:

"Racism and ableism are often thought of as parallel systems of oppression that work separately to perpetuate social hierarchy. Not only does this way of looking at the world ignore the experiences of people of color with disabilities, but it also fails to examine how race is pathologized in order to create racism."

We know that educational opportunity, disability rights, and racial equity are interconnected.

Students who live at the intersection of disability and race often face compounded barriers to access, identification, discipline, inclusion, and educational opportunity. Building systems that work for all students requires understanding these intersections and addressing inequities wherever they exist.

We celebrate freedom while recommitting ourselves to the work of ensuring every student has access to the support, opportunity, and belonging they deserve. 🖤❤️💚

Learn more about the intersections of racism and ableism:
https://disabilityphilanthropy.org/resource/intersections-between-racism-and-ableism/

This resource offers insights and resources to better understand the strong connections between racism and ableism. For our work to be truly disability-inclusive, we must recognize and learn about the ways in which racism and ableism are deeply linked. As explained by Isabella Kres-Nash: "Racism and...

06/18/2026

𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) applauds the Michigan State Board of Education's decision to establish a bipartisan Special Education Committee focused on strengthening services, partnerships, and outcomes for students with disabilities across our state. The committee will engage families, educators, advocates, school districts, and students as it examines challenges, identifies best practices, and explores opportunities for improvement.

This action reflects what families and advocates have been saying for years: special education deserves focused attention, collaboration, and sustained leadership.

AAoM welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this work. Through public comment, research, stakeholder engagement, the 2025 Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report, and the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint (MI Blueprint), families and educators have consistently elevated the need for stronger accountability, equitable funding, improved outcomes, and meaningful family engagement.

While creating a committee is not the finish line, it is an important opportunity to move from discussion to action.

➡️ Listen to families and students
➡️ Examine barriers and disparities
➡️ Strengthen accountability systems
➡️ Modernize special education funding
➡️ Improve outcomes for students with disabilities

The data is clear. The need is clear. The voices of families, advocates, and educators are clear.

Now is the time to build on this momentum and advance solutions—including implementation of the MI Blueprint framework—to create a more equitable, effective, and sustainable special education system for Michigan students.

🔗 Read AAoM's press release: https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/autism-alliance-of-michigan-applauds-state-board-creation-of-special-education-committee/

Michigan Department of Education

06/16/2026

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒: Federal oversight of special education and civil rights protections is changing.

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced new interagency agreements (IAAs) that transfer oversight of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and move education civil rights enforcement functions to the U.S. Department of Justice.

For students with disabilities and their families, this raises important questions about accountability, expertise, and enforcement.

✔ IDEA is first and foremost an education law.
✔ Students with disabilities deserve strong federal oversight and monitoring.
✔ Civil rights protections must remain robust, accessible, and enforceable.
✔ Families need clear pathways when schools fail to meet their obligations.

For decades, the U.S. Department of Education has provided guidance, monitoring, technical assistance, and enforcement to help ensure students receive the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) guaranteed under IDEA.

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA), The Arc of the United States, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and other disability advocates have warned that moving special education and civil rights functions outside the Department of Education risks creating a patchwork of protections and enforcement for students with disabilities.

As these responsibilities shift across agencies, it will be critical to ensure that:

📚 Educational expertise remains central to special education oversight.
⚖️ Disability and civil rights protections remain strong and consistent.
🚸 Families do not face additional barriers when seeking support or resolving disputes.
🏛️ States and school districts remain accountable for meeting their obligations under federal law.

Importantly, when federal oversight and enforcement capacity are reduced, strong state systems become even more important.

In Michigan, that means continuing to strengthen accountability, invest in equitable funding, elevate family voice, and build systems that can deliver better outcomes for students with disabilities regardless of changes at the federal level.

📢 Access, opportunity, and civil rights cannot depend on a student's ZIP code or the capacity of an individual district. Students with disabilities deserve strong protections and meaningful support at every level of the system.

We will continue monitoring these developments and advocating for policies that protect the rights of students with disabilities and ensure every student receives the support they need to succeed.

Read more:

🔗 Chalkbeat: https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/16/trump-administration-moves-sped-civil-rights-from-education-department/

🔗 K-12 Dive:
https://www.k12dive.com/news/education-department-transfers-key-special-ed-civil-rights-functions/823022/

Statements from advocacy organizations linked in comments.

The departments of Health and Human Services and Justice will receive core special education and civil rights responsibilities under the agreements.

06/15/2026

𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭.

For too long, Michigan has relied on a special education funding system that doesn't fully align resources with student need.
The result?

📉 Only 61% of students with disabilities graduate in four years with a traditional diploma.
📚 Reading and math outcomes remain far below where they should be.
⚖️ Funding inequities continue to leave schools struggling to provide the supports students need to succeed.

That's why the RISE Coalition is calling on state leaders to take action now.

✅ Include MI Blueprint Weighted Student Funding intent language in the final FY27 budget.
✅ Establish a $43 million High Cost Fund to support districts serving students with the most significant and complex needs.

The MI Blueprint provides Michigan with a fairer, more equitable, and more sustainable way to fund special education by aligning resources with student need.

📊 The analysis is complete.
📋 The framework has been delivered.
📖 The 2025 Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report provides clear evidence that the current system is falling short.

Now it's up to policymakers to act.

🔗 Share this petition with your elected officials:https://tinyurl.com/MI-Blueprint-Support

Every student deserves access to the supports they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

📢 Join us in urging Michigan lawmakers to take the next step toward a stronger special education system.

🔗 Learn more about RISE and the MI Blueprint: https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/education-initiatives/rise/

The work is done. What comes next is making it real. Michigan has done something important. Families, educators, administrators, and advocates from across the state came together to take a hard look at how special education is funded and what it would take to do it better. The result is…

06/11/2026

For the first time in recent memory, there is broad bipartisan and cross sector momentum across Michigan to address early literacy challenges.

06/09/2026

New national data underscore a reality that many Michigan families and educators already know: 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

The newly released Annie E. Casey Foundation 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book found that overall child well-being has declined nationally since 2019, with 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭-𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲.

For Michigan, these findings reinforce the importance of addressing long-standing challenges that affect student success, including:

📚 Access to evidence-based literacy instruction
🏫 Equitable educational opportunities
👩‍🏫 Adequate staffing and student supports
♿ Stronger outcomes for students with disabilities
💰 Funding systems that align resources with student need

These priorities mirror many of the issues highlighted in the 2025 Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report, which found that students with disabilities in Michigan continue to face significant outcome gaps in graduation rates, academic achievement, and postsecondary readiness. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/2025-MI-SE-Benchmark

Data alone won't improve outcomes.

Real progress requires systems-level solutions that address root causes and ensure schools have the resources necessary to support every learner.

That's why the Autism Alliance of Michigan continues to advocate for reforms such as the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint (MI Blueprint), which would help create a more equitable, adequate, and sustainable funding system for students with disabilities across the state. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/MI-Blueprint-SE-Finance

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨.

🔗 View the 2026 Kids Count Data Book: https://www.aecf.org/resources/2026-kids-count-data-book

Explore the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, with child well-being state-level data in four areas: economic stability, education, health, and family/community…