Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy? Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac This month marks five years since the Michigan Parent, Advocate & Attorney Coalition (MiPAAC) was founded—five years of building community, amplifying voices, and advancing systems change to ensure equitable education for all students with disabilities across Michigan. What began as a […]
Developed under legislative direction, the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint offers a Michigan-made roadmap for fair, transparent, and needs-based funding that better supports students with disabilities. LANSING, Mich. — October 30, 2025. Michigan’s special education system has long been underfunded and inequitable, leaving students with disabilities and their schools without the resources they need. […]
One Year Later – Reflections on the SEE Survey & Advocacy Priorities Elevating lived experience, identifying system barriers, and amplifying voices of parents & students with disabilities Special Education Experience (SEE) Survey: Report to the Community On October 24, 2024, the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) released the Statewide Special Education Experience (SEE) Survey: Report […]
Autism Alliance of Michigan Public Comment State Board of Education October 14, 2025 Read here: 2025.1014 Autism Alliance Public Comment_State Board of Ed_MI Blueprint Modernizing Special Education Finance Through the MI Blueprint: An Imperative for Michigan Good afternoon, Board members, Interim Superintendent, and Department staff. I’m Heather Eckner, and I serve as the statewide director […]
Autism Alliance of Michigan Public Comment State Board of Education September 9, 2025 Read here: 2025.0909 Autism Alliance Public Comment_State Board of Ed_State Complaints RE: Strengthening Special Education Through Complaint Reform & Systemic Solutions: Upholding Rights and Rebuilding Trust Good afternoon, board members, Superintendent, and department staff. The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) appreciates the […]
August 18, 2025 Michigan Department of Education 608 W. Allegan Street P.O. Box 30008 Lansing, MI 48909 Read here: 2025.0818 Autism Alliance__Imperatives for selecting the State Superintendent RE: Imperative for the Selection of a Transformative State Superintendent Dear Members of the Michigan State Board of Education: On June 25, the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) […]
Autism Alliance provides public comment to the State Board of Education calls for End of Harmful Seclusion and Restraint (August 12, 2025) Autism Alliance of Michigan Public Comment State Board of Education August 12, 2025 Read here: 2025.0812 Autism Alliance Public Comment_State Board of Ed_Seclusion and Restraint Access: 2025 AAoM_Policy Brief_Seclusion & Restraint RE: Ending […]
Commentary | It’s time to fund Special Education based on what students actually need by Dr. Scott Koenigsknecht August 5, 2025 As a parent of a child with a disability, a longtime educator, and an advocate for students with disabilities, I’ve seen firsthand how Michigan’s current special education funding system falls short. It falls short […]
Opinion | What Michigan needs in its next superintendent of public instruction by Heather Eckner July 7, 2025 As the Michigan State Board of Education selects our state’s next superintendent of public instruction, we find ourselves at a pivotal crossroads. With more than 1.4 million students across more than 800 public school districts, Michigan’s education […]
June 25, 2025 Michigan Department of Education 608 W. Allegan Street P.O. Box 30008 Lansing, MI 48909 Read here: 2025.0625 Autism Alliance Priorities and Considerations for State Superintendent RE: Priorities and Considerations for the Next State Superintendent Dear Members of the Michigan State Board of Education: On behalf of the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM), […]