This time of year the anxiety and stress level is simply off the Richter scale. Fortunately, Terri Mauro has brought some fun to this overwise not funny time of year. Click here for the IEP game; it is great fun. Thank you Terri.
ADHD Drug Study Shows Problems With Overdoses
A new study from CDC has shown that thousands of children have overdosed on ADHD stimulant medications. This study has prompted calls for "black box" warnings the highest levels of warning to be posted on medications.
LDOnline Recognized for Excellence
LDOnline which is one of the most comprehensive websites for resources on learning disabilities has been given the national award of excellence from the National Association Of Special Education Teachers. This award recognizes LDOnline for its dedication and services to special educators and to families of children with learning disabilities. So the next time you go to an IEP meeting with resources from LDOnline and the "team" acts as if these resources have no credibility, point out that NASET has recognized this website.
Electric Shock and Extreme Aversives To Be Approved in New York–Action Needed !
Dee Alpert who is the publisher of the Special Education Muckracker website has written the following call to action to stop the adoption of rules that will allow the use of electric shock and extreme aversives against children with disabilities in New York State. Action is needed now. If you live in New York State write to your state officials. If you live outside of New York write to Secretary Spelling and your local Congressperson or Senator. If you have contacts in the media or in the public relations industry, please contact them to bring as much attention and pressure against this rulemaking action. Below is the letter from Dee Alpert that she has asked to be widely disseminated to protect children in New York and in other states, so New York will not serve as a precedent for other states.
Significant Development in NCLB Rating Scales
The blog the Quick and the Ed has published on an important development in how schools in Tennessee and North Carolina are to rate progress under NCLB. This announcement from Education Secretary Spelling may develop over time into the norm for other states.
Why Do School Personnel Lie At Hearing ?
I am currently in the midst of a end of the school year crunch time which in part explains why I have been less regular in posting to the blog. One question that is on my mind is why do school people lie ?
IDEA 2004 Regulations Coming This Summer
The rumor on the street is that the much awaited IDEA 2004 regulations are currently being reviewed in the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB"). The expectation is that the regulations will then be out prior to the next school year. I emphasize this is somewhat speculative information and further delays could be in store. Among the hot topics that will be clarified (hopefully) in the new regulations will be the application of RTI (responds to therapeutic intervention) for LD eligibility, and the behavioral provisions of IDEA 2004. One thing is for certain when the new Federal regulations come out it will trigger a round of new regulations at the State level. So if all goes as projected, there will soon be a lot of new law to understand, analyze and ponder over. But parents need not fret too much because many schools still do not understand IDEA 2004 or the regulations under IDEA 1997. So if a parent is intrepid enough to wade into the new regulatory provisions, do not be at all surprised when the school people have no idea of what you are talking about for some time to come. Stay tuned.
Special Needs Moms Deserve a Special Day by Lori Miller Fox
A husband came to his wife, the mother of their child who had special needs and asked, what do you want for Mother’s Day?
A diamond necklace, he offered generously?
No room for that, she said, I already have the school albatross hanging around my neck.
A new watch, he suggested eagerly?
No. Then I’ll have to see how late I really am, she answered.
Swiss chocolates, a two pound box, he thought?
I’m still trying to take off the five pounds I gained from the stress of the last IEP meeting, she cried.
A beautiful potted plant, the rarest of the rare, he suggested?
And give me one more thing to take care of, she hollered!
A dream house, he proposed proudly?
Only if it’s in a better school district, she replied.
A negligee, he said sheepishly?
She just laughed.
A quiet evening alone, he whispered.
She laughed harder.
What, he asked desperately, can I give you for Mother’s Day that will make you happy? Roses, he said sweetly?
No, she replied sadly.
The time to stop and smell them.
Wishing you a very happy Mother’s Day.
A Chasm in School Mission Statements
In almost all schools they have a mission statement for the district or at least for that building. The mission statement is usually engraved or painted near the entrance to the school and reiterated in the school handbook. The mission statements differ to some degree but they tend to state something like the following:
Bar Association Should Fight for Access to Justice
School districts and their attorneys have such tender feelings. A parent in Ohio filed due process on behalf of his son and won over a team of school district attorneys. The sweetness of his victory was short lived. Not long after his victory in the due process and in court, the Ohio Bar Association swung into action and filed suit against the parent for "unauthorized practice of law" for representing his minor child.
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