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At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need navigate the changing world of special education.
Highlights:
Inside story of House-Senate vote to reauthorize IDEA; changes in key
statutes of IDEA by Pete Wright; hundreds of AOL subscribers canceled;
free Wrightslaw program in OK; help from the Yellow Pages for Kids. Download
this newsletter.
Wrightslaw
is ranked #1 in education
law, special
education law, and special
education advocacy. (2003 Alexa rankings)
1. Message from the Editor: Reauthorizing IDEA
In this issue
of The Special Ed Advocate, we focus on the reauthorization of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act going on now.
On Wednesday, November 17, the House-Senate Conference Committee met and
voted to accept the Report to reauthorize the Individuals
with Disabilities Act. Read the "inside
story" of this historic event.
On
Friday, November 19, the House passed the IDEA by a vote of 397-3. The
Senate is scheduled to vote later this afternoon. The
President is expected to sign the bill within 10 days.
Pete
has spent 15+ hours going through the new statute, comparing it to IDEA-97.
There is some good news in the new law. We are writing articles about
changes to the key statutes. Pete has finished writing; Pam is proofreading
and revising now.
2. The Inside Story: House-Senate Committee Votes to Reauthorize IDEA
Parents, advocates, attorneys, and children with disabilities attended the House-Senate Conference Committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon. (Our sources say that the children had many questions and were very well-behaved.)
To learn the inside story about compromises, how members voted (and why), read Conference Committee Votes on IDEA Reauthorization: The Inside Story by Jess Butler. Jess is an attorney, parent of a child with a disability, and a member of the Government Affairs Committee for The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA).
3. IDEA 2004: Changes in Key Statutes by Pete Wright
Since yesterday,
Pete spent 15+ hours going through the new IDEA statute, comparing it
to IDEA-97, focusing on five key statutes. He wrote a series of five articles
that Pam is revising now. As we finish each article, we will post it at
IDEA
2004: Changes in Key Statutes.
Links to the articles:
Section 1400
- Finding and Purposes
Section 1401
- Definitions
Section 1412
- State Responsibilities (the "Catch All" statute)
Section 1414
- Evaluations, Reevaluations and IEPs
Section 1415
- Procedural Safeguards (Rules of Procedure)
4. AOL Subscribers Canceled
Hundreds of AOL subscribers were automatically unsubscribed from The Special Ed Advocate this week because AOL assumed that the newsletter was s p a m. If you know any AOL subscribers who receive our newsletter, please alert them to this problem. They will need to re-subscribe and immediately put our email address of newsletter@wrightslaw.com on their approved email list.
To ensure that you continue to receive The Special Ed Advocate newsletter, please add newsletter@wrightslaw.com to your approved email list!
5. Wrightslaw Program in Oklahoma (Dec 4, 2004) - FREE to Parents & Caregivers
On Saturday, December 4, Pete and Pam Wright will do a full-day Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy program at the University of Central Oklahoma. This program is FREE to parents and educational caregivers.
Wrightslaw
Special Education Law and Advocacy Training Programs focus on four
areas: special education laws,
rights & responsibilities; how to use the bell curve to measure progress
& regression; SMART IEPs; and tactics & strategies for effective
advocacy.
All participants will receive two books,
Wrightslaw:
Special Education Law and Wrightslaw:
From Emotions to Advocacy, with their registration (Value: $59.90).
Learn more about the Oklahoma
Special Education Law & Advocacy Training Program on December
4. Download the
registration form.
If you are interested in bringing a Wrightslaw program to your community, please read FAQs about Seminars. (We are scheduling programs for 2006.)
6. Need Help? Visit the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
If you are looking for help, visit the
Yellow Pages for Kids with
Disabilities. Your state Yellow
Pages has many resources - evaluators, therapists, tutors, special
Ed schools, advocates, organizations, and support groups.
Strategies
to Find a Support or Study Group
What
to Expect from an Evaluation of Your Child
Working
with Independent Evaluators and Educational Consultants
Questions
for a Lay Advocate
Questions
for an Attorney
Flyers - Yellow
Pages Flyers are great to distribute at conferences, seminars, training
programs, and workshops. Forward flyers
to friends and family members who live in other states. Access all state
flyers.
The
Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education
legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics and strategies. Subscribers
receive "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers
on Wrightslaw books.
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| Advocacy | Yellow Pages for Kids |
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Contact Info
Pete and
Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043
Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: newsletter@wrightslaw.com
