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The Special Ed Advocate
January 24, 2007
Subscribers: 45,555
 
 

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At Wrightslaw, our mission is to help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to navigate the confusing, changing world of special education.

In This Issue:

1. Rebutting Rowley? Independence and Self-Sufficiency Are New Standards for FAPE
2. Decision & Brief in
J.L. and M.L., and their minor daughter, K.L. v. Mercer Island (WA) School District (W.D. WA 2006)
3. Will NCLB Be Reauthorized This Year? Washington Insiders Make Surprising Predictions
4. Coming Soon! Wrightslaw Special Education Law & Advocacy Programs in VA, DE, CA, NC and ME
5. Subscription and Contact Info

Do you know others who want to learn how to advocate for a child with a disability? Please forward this issue or the subscription page so they can learn about special education law and advocacy too. Newsletter Archives (1998-2006).


1. Rebutting Rowley? Independence and Self-Sufficiency Are New Standards for FAPE

In J.L. and M.L., and their minor daughter, K.L. v. Mercer Island (WA) School District, U. S. District Court Judge Pechman reversed the decision of an Administrative Law Judge and ruled in favor of a high school student with dyslexia.

In finding that the standards for a free appropriate public education described by the U. S. Supreme Court decision in Board of Ed. of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley are no longer relevant, the Court cited changes in recent IDEA reauthorizations that are so significant "that any citation to pre-1997 case law on special education is suspect.

Read "Rebutting of Rowley" to learn why Courts must reevaluate the significance of Rowley in determining a "free appropriate public education" under the IDEA, why transition planning for life after school is essential, and why IEPs are required to specify time committed to services ... and teaching methodologies.

Rebutting Rowley? Independence and Self-Sufficiency Are New Standards for FAPE
https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/art/kl.misd.rowley.htm

Law Articles: https://www.wrightslaw.com/law.articles.htm


2. J.L. and M.L., and their minor daughter, K.L. v. Mercer Island (WA) School District (W.D. WA 2006)

In K.L. v. Mercer Island School District (W.D. WA 2006), a U. S. District Court Court reversed the decision of an Administrative Law Judge and ruled in favor of a high school student with dyslexia.

In addition to describing new standards for a free appropriate public education (FAPE), this decision addresses requirements for transition planning for independence and self-sufficiency, and teacher training to "ensure that they have the skills and knowledge necessary to enable [students] to meet developmental goals ... and to be prepared to lead productive, independent adult lives, to the maximum extent possible ..."

Citing the Commentary to the 1997 special education regulations, they Court found that the statute and regulations:

" ... delineates further IEP requirements about ... The amount of time to be committed to to each of the various services to be provided ... and the particular teaching methodology that will be used ... will need to be discussed at the IEP meeting and incorporated into the student's IEP."

Read the decision in J.L. and M.L. and K.L. v. Mercer Island Sch. District.

Read the Opening Brief Filed on behalf of K.L. and her parents:
http://www.harborhouselaw.com/law/plead/WA.mercer.brief.pdf (40 pages, pdf)

More Special Education Caselaw


3. Will NCLB Be Reauthorized This Year? Insiders Have Surprising Predictions

The No Child Left Behind Act was reauthorized five years ago, in January 2002. The law is scheduled to be reauthorized this year.

Will NCLB be reauthorized in 2007? What changes is Congress likely to make in the law?

In "Will No Child Left Behind Be Reauthorized This Year?," you'll learn what "Washington insiders" - education association leaders, think tank analysts, lobbyists, and scholars - predict will happen to NCLB in 2007. Their predications may surprise you!

More about NCLB: https://www.wrightslaw.com/nclb/index.htm


4. Coming Soon! Wrightslaw Programs in VA, DE, CA, NC, and ME

Wrightslaw offers special education law and advocacy programs taught by experts in the field.
The Winter schedule includes these programs:

February 10: Falls Church, VA - From Emotions to Advocacy Training at Virginia Tech NoVa Center. Speaker: Pat Howey


February 13: Wilmington, DE - Special Education Law and Advocacy Training sponsored by the Parent Information Center of Delaware. Speakers: Pete and Pam Wright

February 20: San Diego, CA - Special Education Advocacy Training sponsored by the San Diego County Chapter of the Autism Society of America. Speakers: Pete and Pam Wright

February 27: Charlotte, NC
- Special Education Law & Advocacy Training sponsored by The Arc of Mecklenburg County. Speakers: Pete and Pam Wright

March 8: Bangor ME - Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference sponsored by the Maine Parent Federation. Speaker: Pete Wright

Schedule l Program Descriptions

We are scheduling programs for 2007 and 2008. If you are interested in bringing a Wrightslaw program to your community, please read Conference Information.



5. Subscription & Contact Info

The Special Ed Advocate
Issue: 375;  ISSN: 1538-3202
Subscribers: 45,555

The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics and strategies. The Special Ed Advocate is published weekly (usually on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, with occasional breaks). Subscribers also receive "alerts" about events and special offers on Wrightslaw publications and products.

To subscribe, please go to https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

To unsubscribe, please go to http://list.feat.org/scripts/wa.exe?HOME. Scroll down the list and click the link to "Wrightslaw" at the end of the page, then click "Join or Leave Wrightslaw." This will take you to the page where you can change your subscription options. Click "Leave Wrightslaw."

Please forward this issue of The Special Ed Advocate to others who share your interest in special education law and advocacy. If you were forwarded a copy of The Special Ed Advocate and want to subscribe, you can sign up through our website at:
https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Read back issues of the Special Ed Advocate at the Archives.


Contact Info

Pete and Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043

Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: webmaster@wrightslaw.com


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