How does a child benefit from these proposed revisions?
I copied from other replies and wish to thank those who wrote so eloquently. This is what I plan to send to the Board.
As concerned voters, active Virginia citizens, and parents of a student with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity-Disorder (AD/HD), my husband and I urge the committee to reject the proposed regulations regarding special education in Virginia's schools.
These regulations would restrict our rights as parents to have a say in our child's IEP process and accommodations and they allow for conflicts of interest in any hearings involving our child, among other harmful consequences. We can’t imagine why the Board would want to limit parental involvement. Time and again studies have shown that students benefit when parent(s) are actively involved in their education.
From the beginning, we’ve taken a team approach with our daughter’s teachers and the school administrators. We can’t imagine not being considered an important member of our child’s education team nor can we imagine why the Board would think that parents don’t play a critical role in their children’s education.
As her parents, we are the only ones at the IEP meetings who have such in-depth knowledge on her past difficulties and the level of support she receives outside of school. We are the constants in a possible revolving door of administrators, teachers, and specialists. We are the only ones in those meetings who speak with her doctors and outside resources which we relay onto the rest of the team. We have skin in the game and should not be pushed aside.
We oppose these recommendations because they:
Take away our right to give consent in our daughter's IEP process
Restrict our involvement in ensuring accommodations if she transfers to another school
Remove our input from the Functional Behavioral Assessment team
Allow a Local Education Agency to deny our request for an IEP meeting if they think the request is unreasonable
Lengthen the time, without our consent, that a school has to postpone addressing our daughter's specific accommodations
Do not require impartial due process hearings
Reduce the number of IEP progress reports given to us on the status of our child's education
Though these regulations were proposed in an attempt to bring Virginia in line with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), they do the exact opposite of what IDEA intends. These proposals place students with AD/HD and other disabilities in danger of not receiving a fair, appropriate, and public education guaranteed to them under federal law.
We join concerned parents across Virginia, Governor Kaine, and other Virginia Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity-Disorder (CHADD) members in voicing our strong opposition to these proposed special education regulations.
Thank you for taking the time to hear and acknowledge our concerns.
