Special Education
In October 2025, the Gault Center convened over three hundred youth defense lawyers and advocates at our annual Youth Defender Leadership Summit. Together, we practiced the cultivation of community in service of building a more just, more liberated, and more human humanity for all children and for us all. This resource captures the shared learnings…
From the conclusion” “Conclusion There is no question that the statistical picture of special education is bleak. But after its meeting of stakeholders, interviews with experts, and review of the research, NCD believes that IDEA and other related disability laws, with improved enforcement, can and should benefit at-risk students who are properly referred and served.…
Professor Kris Henning and Rebba Omer authored a law review article on decriminalizing normal adolescent behaviors, race, and disabilities. This article maps a way forward for all system actors in the juvenile legal system to mitigate and buffer against the harms of juvenile legal system involvement for youth with disabilities. Specifically, this article outlines youth…
From the abstract: “This paper explores the inequitable treatment of the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled and Autistic (IDD/A) population in the criminal justice system. Although progress has been made over the past century with understanding the unique needs of this population, they still face challenges at all stages of the criminal justice system. Behavioral, social…
From the introduction: “This is a moment to organize, educate, and mobilize. Whether you’re an educator, a parent, or an advocate, you have a role to play in protecting all students. This action kit is designed to equip educators, parents, and community leaders with the knowledge, resources, and strategies to safeguard immigrant students from the…
This resource is part of the Youth Defender Advocacy Program (YDAP) curriculum, a specialized trial advocacy training program for youth defenders.
In this letter to school officials, the ACLU of Ohio provides guidance in response to the revocation of the “sensitive locations” policy that had previously limited immigration enforcement at schools. The letter provides guidance regarding procedures schools should have in place if immigration agents take enforcement action at schools, the collection of information regarding students’…
Issued by the Maryland State Department of Education, these documents provide, in English and Spanish, guidance regarding student rights, school registration, requests from immigration authorities or law enforcements at schools, training for school personnel, and resources for families.
From the executive summary: “The repercussions of involvement in municipal court are severe and often can affect youth long into adulthood through punitive measures like probation, fines and fees, detention, and criminal records. To address these issues, this report calls on municipal courts, policymakers, police departments, school districts, and advocates to take action. It emphasizes…
This report challenges the notion that Georgia’s youth legal system is built to rehabilitate and suggests measures that protect the health and humanity of all the state’s children. First, this report will explore the myth of the “superpredator” and its impact on perceived Black youth criminality. Second, it will detail the state’s school-to-prison pipeline and…
