State Specific Bills and Political Issues

Hello my friends I am Carlos Guerra, and i am the proud parent of a student at Manor Senior High School. Not so long ago, a wonderful boy by the name of Darrin Loving, a special needs student who was nonverbal, was killing in a horrific attack just a few weeks ago. He was the target of bullies, who lured him into a bathroom, then stabbed him cruelly with a kitchen knife. The poor boy managed to make it out into the lunchroom, where he bled out, and all the other kids took videos and circulated them around on the social medias. And this is not the first time. My child is in phys ed at MSHS--his coaches don't take the IEPs or 504s seriously. I have spoke to one …

A small group of parents (including myself) has connected in my school district. We're trying to advococate for systemic change in our school district and are unsure how to do this. We're meeting as a group next week to share experiences and come up with common themes to approach the school district with. One parent is meeting with a school board member. I'm meeting with the superintendent for my child next week as well. Any suggestions on how we should proceed?

In my son’s charter school a revised parent guide lists emotional dysregulation as a behavior as level 1 offense. It’s just crazy. It is becoming clear to me they are trying to use a new school wide discipline system in lieu of special education and behavior interventions. I have begun advocating against this because that is just wrong. He has one more year there before high school. It may be revised yet before school starts. this maybe the wrong place to post but if you have supporting sources or further reading I’d appreciate.

With all the budget cuts are ieps changing? My non verbal autistic granddaughter starts Kindergarten next year. I need her to have a one on one aid. Is that even still a consideration?

How do I find or request the Special Education budget or spending for my school district? I suspect my school district is diverting money towards legal fees, settlements, and administrative fees instead of special education services. There were several OCR pending complaints from my school district about a month ago on the OCR website. Now, they are gone and they are not listed in the OCR resolutions. My thought is that the school district settled with the families involved. I am aware of several families working with lawyers and I've heard from many families about their fight for services. I want to bring Special Education spending to the attention of the Board …

Seems like a glitch was created when BHRS was replaced by IBHS in January 2021. Trimark cannot cover IBHS because the PA Behavior Specialists are not a recognised provider under Trimark. (Their credential is the issue.) There is a bill in DC that needs to pass so that Trimark and Medicaid can coordinate benefits for families with this insurance combo. If you are experiencing this issue, please reply to this post. The more families that are advocating for change, the louder the voice is & the more likely things will change so the glitch goes away. Oddly, Trimark for active military works OK with these services.

South Carolina ACESD & OSEP Townhall dates Please copy and share! The OSEP requires each state to engage stakeholders in the target-setting process, including the examination and revision of SPP targets and improvement activities. To achieve the goal of meaningful stakeholder engagement, the OSES will host a series of virtual statewide stakeholder meetings. Please publicize to interested parties; i.e., parents of children with disabilities Please see Memo for Zoom meeting links and dates. https://ed.sc.gov/newsroom/school-district-memoranda-archive/state-performance-plan-spp-annual-performance-report-apr-stakeholder-involvement/state-performance-plan-…

Posting with permission from email: Good afternoon Lisa! I've been a longtime follower in your FB A Day In Our Shoes group and really appreciate your posts and perspectives. I'm also quite active in state disability advocacy. I live in WI, am very active with our Board for People w/Developmental Disabilities (WI BPDD) and completed their Partners In Policy-making training about 10 years ago. The reason I'm reaching out today is because WI Republicans have introduced a couple of very alarming education related bills re discipline and parental rights/notification this week. I sat thru a livestream of most of the discussion and public testimony at an educ…

I want to get involved with Changing how schools handle Kids with disabilities Especially in my county.

Share your opinion about IDEA. In person Columbia event. See flyer for details.