New Mexico AG praises court ruling on special education

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is praising a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that bolsters the rights of millions of learning-disabled students. The ruling issued this week requires public schools to offer special education programs that meet higher standards. The case involved a boy who attended public school outside Denver. Balderas was among those who filed briefs in the case. The New Mexico Democrat said Thursday the ruling reverses what had been the law in New Mexico and that educational plans for students with disabilities must be designed so that students can make progress. School officials from across the country had cautioned the court that imposing higher standards could be too costly for some cash-strapped districts. They warned that it could also lead parents to make unrealistic demands.