Children with Disabilities
Children With Disabilities: Highlights
Click here for ELC's current e-Newsletter.
IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO HELP FAMILIES WIN AT SPECIAL EDUCATION HEARINGS
Speaker Dennis O’Brien – a champion for children with disabilities and their families – and almost 60 other members of the PA House of Representatives have sponsored or signed on to HB 2438. If the Bill becomes law, it will restore the old PA rule that school districts (instead of families) have the “burden of proof” in special education hearings. You can help make this happen by contacting your state Representative to urge him or her to sign on. Or, if he/she is already a signer, urge the Legislator to vote in the Bill’s favor. For more details, click here to see the Alert from the VALUE Coalition. THE TIME IS NOW!
Revisions to State Special Education Forms
The Bureau of Special Education in the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) are currently asking for input about how to revise the State’s special education forms in light of the pending changes to Chapter 14. Click here to see the initial recommendation of the VALUE Coalition. If you would like to provide additional written comments about how the forms could be revised, please send those comments ASAP to Carol Bergman at PaTTAN, 200 Anderson Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406-1904.
Finally – progress in ensuring quality education for children who attend “partial hospitalization programs” during the school day.
Each year roughly 11,000 children attend a partial hospitalization program (a mental health treatment program that is operated during the school day). This is too many children, and many stay in these programs for too long. In addition, it has been a mystery which school district is responsible for educating these children. The Department of Public Welfare has just issued a Bulletin that explains new admission and discharge procedures and how children’s education programs should be developed. The Education Deputy Secretary has written to superintendents that the school districts in which the children live are responsible for their education; that districts can’t provide that education through homebound instruction for more than 30 days; and that children should get sufficient instruction to permit a successful transition back to their school district without significant interruption in core academic subjects. The Departments also issued a joint “report.” To review the joint report, click here. To review the DPW Bulletin, click here. To review the letter to superintendents, click here. For help getting education for a student in a partial program, contact jstotland@elc-pa.org.
State Board approves plan to require students to pass competency tests to graduate.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Education has approved proposed regulations that will require Pennsylvania students to pass a series of competency tests developed by the state or by local school districts. Next stops will be the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) and the Education Committees in the Pennsylvania House and Senate. This proposal is especially a worry for children with special needs, including children with disabilities. The VALUE Coalition, which opposes this regulation, will be developing a specific proposal on how students with disabilities should be treated if the regulation becomes law. If you want to join VALUE, contact slynagh@drnpa.org. For a copy of the proposed regulation, click here.
ELC telephone HelpLine for families of children with disabilities moves to the Disability Rights Network
The Disability Rights Network (formerly PA Protection and Advocacy, Inc.), which for several decades has funded ELC’s HelpLine for families of students with disabilities, is now operating the HelpLine itself. ELC will continue to advocate on behalf of children with disabilities, and will continue to operate a HelpLine for families in other areas of public education law. To contact DRN with a question about a child with a disability, call 800-692-7443 (TTY 877-375-7139).
Are your schools underfunded?
If so, let us (and Harrisburg) hear from you! We recently created a new webpage called "Share your stories". We hope you’ll take a moment – or more – to visit and tell us what it means for kids - especially kids with disabilities - when schools don’t have enough money. How big are your classes? How adequate are your facilities? Do you have enough counselors, courses, computers?
We’re gathering stories now for a reason. In November, a “Costing-Out/Adequacy Study” was published that explained much more state funding is needed to ensure that all students, regardless of where they live, get good educations. Advocates are hoping that the Legislature and the Governor will support funding reform. We want to make sure your stories and photos get to the appropriate decision-makers. Click here for more information about the study and how you can get involved.
Training
New special education law, training opportunities: click here
New special education law, training materials:
- Click here for our training materials on the education laws that affect school-aged children in out-of-home care in Pennsylvania
- Click here for our training handout on Early Intervention Rules for children in out-of-home care in Pennsylvania.
- ELC publishes toolkits on new special education regulations
Join a coalition or a listserve!
Join VALUE, a coalition of disability advocates currently working on revisions to the Pennsylvania special education regulations. Contact Sallie Lynagh at slynagh@drnpa.org.
If you live in the western part of the State, join monthly meetings of the Western Coalition of Educational Advocates from Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties (e-mail Shari Mamas at the Disability Rights Network ).
Join the Pennsylvania Early Intervention Coalition, which advocates on behalf of young children with disabilities. For more information, contact Nancy Hubley. If you want to be added to the Coalition listserve, email Irene McClendon.
To subscribe to ELC's special education listserve, and/or to receive the ELC e-newsletter, send an e-mail to Irene McClendon.
To attorneys ...
If you'd like ELC to refer families to you, fill out our attorney survey and return it to Irene McClendon. In exchange for being on our referral list, ELC asks that you take at least one pro bono case from ELC each year you remain on the list. ELC offers assistance to attorneys who are representing families. If you live in western PA, you can share resources and discuss cases and issues at monthly meetings of parent attorneys. For more information, contact Nancy Hubley.
