As states
consider new state regulations to implement IDEA 2004,
its important to protect the educational rights of
students with disabilities.
COPAA has on its webpage suggestions of some key
issues to advocate
on at the state level. The link is http://www.copaa.org/pdf/COPAAStateGuid_50707B.pdf.
This also explains the interplay between federal and
state regulations.
In addition, we have two documents provided by
COPAAns Felicia Hurewitz
and Dorene Philpot, laying out the 50 states' timelines
for evaluations
and whether states are one or two tier DP hearing
states.
They are at http://www.copaa.org/news/idea04.html#state.
Archived
Guide to the Complete IEP
http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html
IEP Bridges4Kids Goal Bank
http://www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/iep.goal.bank.pdf
Reed
Martin Special Education and Goals
http://www.reedmartin.com/
http://www.reedmartin.com/iepgoals.htm
Schwab IEP Goal Guide and More!
http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=296
Great IEP
Writing and Learning Site!
http://www.pediatricservices.com/spec_ed_advocate.htm
Here is a site that lists some sensory goals:
http://www.learningabledkids.com/learning_disability_LD/sensory_integration_
dysfunction.htm
This site lists the Alert program:
http://www.alertprogram.com/
At Harcourt
Assessment/Psych Corp, we understand the challenges facing School
clinicians.
With NCLB and the anticipated changes with IDEA 2004,
the expectations of
the School clinician continue to rise. At the heart of
these changes is the goa
l to see all children succeed
http://harcourtassessment.com/haiweb/Cultures/en-US/Harcourt/SupportAndResources/IndustryTopics/IDEIA/EvolvingwithIDEA.htm
Fine Motor Skills
Goals:
http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/sped/SPARK/teachermat/alligator/skills-finemotor.html
or
http://www.playistherapy.com/?gclid=COzotP_894oCFQVAgQodakArlw
Attention goals:
http://www.fape.org/pubs/fape-41.pdf
http://specialed.about.com/od/iep/a/iepattention.htm
Self help: http://www.iep4u.com/iepsh1~1.htm
http://www.kid-power.org/samples/goals.html
It's IEP Season, Just a reminder
that a Regular Education
Teacher must be present in the
IEP it is a denial of FAPE! See court case below!
M.L.
v. Federal Way Sch. Dist., 387 F.3d 1101 (9th
Cir.
2004). Click here to read the case /Documents/ML Case.pdf
The failure of the school district
to have a regular
education teacher at the IEP meeting for an
autistic
and intellectually impaired student was
sufficient to find a denial
of FAPE. The District’s
omission was a “critical structural defect”
because
there was a possibility of placement in an
integrated
classroom and the IEP recommendation
might have been different had
the general
education teacher been involved. When the general
education
teacher was unable to attend,
District should have cancelled the
meeting and
not proceeded without the benefit of input from
the
general education teacher regarding curriculum
and environment.
What
Does IDEA Mean for A Child With Autism?
IDEA is our nation's
special education law. IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act. IDEA guides how states and school districts provide
special education and related services to more than six million eligible
children with disabilities. Learn more about this important federal law
here!
What does IDEA mean for a child with autism?
IDEA is divided into four
sections, called Part A–D. Each part relates to some area of educating
children and youth with disabilities. These parts are:
1. Part A defines the terms
used in the law. For example, the terms Child with a Disability and Free
Appropriate Public Education are defined in Part A.
2. Part B gives money to
States to provide services for eligible children and youth with
disabilities. Part B includes the rules and regulations that States and
school systems must follow to receive funds from the Federal government.
This includes what must be done with respect to:
• evaluating
children for the presence of a disability and their eligibility for
special education and related services;
• notifying parents and
involving them in their child's education;
• working with parents to
write IEPs for eligible children;
• providing special education and
related services to children with disabilities;
• resolving
conflicts between parents and the school system; and much, much more.
Because
Part B focuses on schools and children, it is probably the best known
part of the law.
3. Part C is the Early Intervention Program for
Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. This program helps States
develop and operate a system for providing early intervention services
to infants and toddlers and their families. This system must include all
of the agencies that might provide services, such as the Department of
Education, Health, and Social Services. Some of these services may
include family training, counseling and home visits, speech-language
services, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Like Part B, Part C
is well known, primarily because it, too, deals with children.
4.
Part D helps State education departments and other agencies improve how
they work with children and youth with disabilities. Although lesser
known than Parts B and
C, Part D is critically important, because it
builds the capacity of early intervention systems and schools to
address the unique needs of children who have disabilities. Part D
provides the information and research that informs professional practice
and families. Under Part D, the Federal government provides grants to
universities, colleges, and other organizations to:
• Prepare
teachers to teach all students, including students with disabilities;
•
Do research into best practices for children and youth with
disabilities;
• Publicize information about services to parents,
teachers, and other professionals working with children;
• Operate
parent training and information (PTI) centers, which work directly with
families;
• Operate information centers like NICHCY;
• Develop
technologies for professionals and children; and
• Operate
demonstration projects that investigate new or promising educational
practices.
Each part of the law has a crucial role to play in the
education of children with disabilities. Together, they work to ensure
that the four purposes of the law are carried out. As stated in the
opening words of IDEA's implementing regulations for Part B:
"The
purposes of this part are—
(a) to ensure that all children with
disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education
that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet
their unique needs and prepare them for employment and independent
living;
(b) To ensure that the rights of children with disabilities
and their parents are protected;
(c) To assist States, localities,
educational service agencies, and Federal agencies to provide for the
education of all children with disabilities; and
(d) To assess and
ensure the effectivenessness of efforts to educate children with
disabilities." (34 Code of Federal Regulations Section 300.1, Purposes.)
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IRC
http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html
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FAPE Solutions
Educator's
World
Great Assistive Technology Link provided by Tom and Shelby
Nurse! Wrights
Law
Books, Websites &
Newsletters from Wrightslaw
Books & DVDs
Pete and Pam
Wright are co-authors of several books published by Harbor House Law
Press:
Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition (ISBN:
978-1-892320-16-2, 456 pages) is available as a print book and print
book & e-book combo; includes the full text of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and IDEA 2004 regulations with analysis and
commentary, Section 504, NCLB, Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA), McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, decisions in special
education cases from the U. S. Supreme Court, resources and references.
(2007)
Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy - The Special
Education Survival Guide, 2nd Edition by Pam Wright and Pete Wright
(ISBN: 1-892320-09-6, 338 pages, perfect bound $19.95). (2005)
Surviving
Due Process: Stephen Jeffers v. School Board, the award-winning DVD
about a special education due process hearing (2004).
Wrightslaw:
No Child Left Behind by Peter W. D. Wright, Pamela Darr Wright and
Suzanne Whitney Heath, ISBN: 1-892320-12-6, 384 pages, perfect bound,
includes No Child Left Behind CD-ROM. (2003)
Wrightslaw: IDEA
2004 by Peter W. D. Wright, Esq. and Pamela Darr Wright (ISBN:
1-892320-05-3, 168 pages) perfect bound, also available as an e-book.
(2005) - Out-of-print in 12/06; replaced by Wrightslaw: Special
Education Law, 2nd Edition.
Wrightslaw Tactics & Strategy
Manual by Peter Wright and Pamela Wright, ISBN: 1-892320-18-5, 144 pages
(2000) - Out of print; replaced by Wrightslaw: From Emotions to
Advocacy.
Wrightslaw: Special Education Law (1999) - Out of
print, replace by Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition.
Newsletters
The
Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter, published weekly,
about special education law and advocacy. Read back issues in the
Newsletter Archives.
The Beacon: The Journal of Special Education
Law & Practice is a multi-disciplinary electronic journal of
special education law and practice published by Harbor House Law Press.
Read back issues of The Beacon.
Websites
IDEA 2004 at
Wrightslaw provides current, reliable information about the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004). Learn about new
requirements for IEPs, IEP teams, IEP meetings, eligibility,
evaluations, eligibility for specific learning disabilities, child find,
reevaluations, parental consent, accommodations, alternate assessments,
transition, and more.
No Child Left Behind at Wrightslaw offers
accurate, up-to-date information about the No Child Left Behind Act -
research-based instruction, proficiency testing, parent involvement,
tutoring and supplemental educational services, highly qualified
teachers, and public school choice.
Wrightslaw: From Emotions to
Advocacy has a companion website at Fetaweb.com with advocacy
information and resources to supplement the book.
Special
Connections
http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/index.php
Special
Edcation IEP http://www.spedforms.com/goals/criteria.htm
http://specialed.about.com/cs/iep/a/ieparticle.htm
Dear Parent Advocates,
We
all seem to be having some kind of problem with the FLDOE and the
Florida ESE system lately. I hope that some of the contact information
below will be of help to you in your future advocacy work. The only way
the system is going to change is if we continue to advocate and work
together to make the necessary changes happen for our children.
Restraint
and Seclusion
IDEA non-compliance
IEP non-compliance
Parents
bullied and intimidated at IEP meetings by school district.
File
intake information with the Florida Advocacy Center for Persons with
Disabilities, Inc. http://www.advocacycenter.org/intake/index.cfm
File
a written complaint with the FLDOE about your situation in regards to
your child being restrained or put in seclusion. This may not do much
but at least it will be documented and on file. This will create a paper
trail that you may need in the future. The electronic form is attached.
File a complete with your Department of Children and Families
Services (DCF) if your child has been injured physically or mentally.
The Welfare of Children Act (HB 7173) amended the definition of "other
person responsible for the child's welfare" to include school personnel.
Parents can now report suspected abuse by school personnel to DCF.
Florida Child Abuse Hot Line 1-800-962-2873
File a complaint with
your local police department if your child has been injured physically
or mentally.
Florida's Positive Behavior Support Project http://cfs.fmhi.usf.edu:80/cfsnews/2006news/PBSupdate8.06.html.
This is free program to all
Florida schools but they have to be invited in by the school district.
Make this request to your ESE Director and your school board. Make this
request by phone or in person but always put it in writing also.
Educate
and work with your local and state legislatures about restraint and
seclusion in the public school system on children with disabilities.
Identify problems and present solutions to help solve the current
problems our children are facing. Find your Legislators in the link
below by ZIP+4 Code (the 4 extra number can be found on most of your
incoming mail next to your zip code) http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Mode=Find%20Your%20Legislator&Submenu=3&Tab=legislators&ZipCode=33436
Work with other parent
advocates creating and submitting new bills to your local legislatures.
Example of bill subjects: Burden of proof put back on the schools
districts, Behavior committee to oversee policies/rules are being
followed, State Data system set up by school districts to track
restraint, seclusion, suspensions, baker acts and arrests of children
with disabilities.
Work with other parent advocates changing current
laws that are outdated and need to be revised.
Call and order 20 -
30 free booklets "Making Your Case" 1-877-348-0505 (toll free) and pass
them out to other parent advocates. This is a beginners guide to teach
advocates how to work with legislators.
Speak at school board
meetings about what restraint and seclusion has done to your child,
family and other families. Educate school board members about the
dangers and trauma of restraint and seclusion. Restraint & Seclusion
is NOT a positive behavior treatment, it's a FAILURE to treatment.
Send
a "No Restraint" letter to the school principal and ESE Director.
Change the letter to fit your situation. A sample letter can be found
here: http://www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/NoRestraintLetter.html
Take
pictures of any visible injuries your child comes home with. And make
sure you document everything.
Take your child to his/her Pediatrician
or the Emergency room for a complete physical examination if needed.
Contact
your local media and ask them if they will do a story to educated the
public.
Restraint and Seclusion - Join the Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RESTRAINT_INFO/
to find information and
support.
Pass this information on to other parents that may need
help.
Other Contact Numbers
Statewide and Local Advocacy
Councils http://www.floridasac.org/
The Florida Developmental
Disabilities Council http://www.fddc.org/HOME/index.asp\
U.S.
Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/edo/filecomp.htm
Office of
Civil Rights http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/OCR/complaintform.cfm
U.S.Office
of Civil Rights Washington office http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/OCR/contactus.cfm
Regards,
Phyllis
Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
http://familiesagainstrestraintandseclusion.blogspot.com/
FLORIDA
Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
http://floridafamiliesagainstrestraint.blogspot.com/