Education Law

New ADA Expands Disability Coverage

President Bush is expected to sign into law the new Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, which was passed by Congress this week. NSBA submitted a letter to Congress expressing some of the concerns local school boards have on the new legislation, which moved through the Senate and the House expeditiously this week. Although local school boards fully support the goals and objectives of the ADA, the expanded definitions of disability in the new legislation would increase the number of employees covered by the law while giving little consideration to how significantly a particular disability affects an employee. Public schools across the country are also expecting to see an increase in the number of students who seek eligibility under Section 504 and who would otherwise would not have been covered under the previous definitions. The overall implications of the new ADA for public schools remains unknown, but more disputes over who is eligible for coverage are almost a sure thing.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on September 18, 2008 (boomark / email).