Disability Rights Ohio and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality team up to protect rights of students and their families to access educational programs and activities

November 15, 2016 / education

The combined legal efforts of DRO and ABLE have successfully lead to an agreement between the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) that requires ODE to provide meaningful access to programs and activities for students and their families with limited-English proficiency.

According to the agreement, ODE must develop a language assistance plan to provide notice of available educational programs and activities, including special education services and resources in a language that students and their parents understand. The agreement also requires ODE to submit a report about the plan to OCR by December 31, 2016, for review and approval.

The letter from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights along with the settlement agreement signed by ODE can be viewed here.