We Await Doug Forrester's Action on Behalf of Our Children

The following letter was sent to Doug Forrester on JUly 27 to follow up on a letter and meeting with him on the topic of IDEIA 2004:

Dear Doug Forrester,

I met you recently at the POAC picnic in Lakewood NJ.  We spoke of the threat to children with disabilities.  You sounded sympathetic to our concerns.  I referred you to our petition with over 1000 signatures calling upon the current administration to - as is within its power per the law - keep its stronger special educations laws in place where the federal law would allow weakening.

The following is the website with the petition:

http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org  .

The letter I handed to you follows.

We have not heard back from you.  The time for you to raise this issue is now.  You can sign the petition and take a stand for our children.  There are 225,000 special education children in NJ - that represents a sizable constituency of families, close relatives and friends who know our plight.

We need a champion who can very specifically raise these issues.  There will also be opportunities to testify in October at DOE hearings.  Will you be there?

I am looking forward to seeing some action in this regard.  I have also challenged the Corzine campaign along these lines:

http://corzineconnection.com/story/2005/7/18/231444/044#7  

Who will stand for our children who are among the most powerless of NJ citizens and residents?

- Bob Witanek

http://studentadvocate-nj.org/DForrester_Letter_June18_2005.htm

APIECE
A Parents' Initiative For Every Child's Education
PO Box 1214, Belle Mead, NJ 08502 * APIECE@APIECENJ.org * 908-881-5275
"We Can!  We Will!  Together!"

 

                                                                                                                 June 18, 2005

Dear Doug Forrester,

Congratulations with your nomination and best of luck with your campaign.

I am writing to make you aware of an issue of utmost importance to the families of 225,000 special education students in the State of New Jersey.  You can begin to make a difference on this issue even before obtaining the highest office in the State of New Jersey, if you were to raise this issue in your challenge to the current administration and your opponent in this race.

In December of 2004, the federal government enacted legislation changing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  While improvements are part of the new law, in many areas, rights of students and their parents are being withered and processes that are vital to the achievement of a free and appropriate public education are being undermined.  The way the law works, states such as New Jersey have the option of leaving current stronger law intact in areas where the new law would allow weakening.

Our organization, A Parents’ Initiative for Every Child’s Education (APIECE) is coordinating a petition drive and already 1000 NJ residents have united around 11 concerns.  About 95% of the special education parents approached are signing on – our challenge is finding a way to reach them all.  The current administration has sought input from the school districts but has not made a direct attempt to reach out to the parents of the 225,000 special education students for such input.

The petition opposes the following changes.

Elimination of short term objectives.

The changing of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) period from 1 year to 3 years.

Regular education teachers would no longer need to attend IEP meetings.

Midterm assessments of progress toward objectives can be eliminated.

Stay put provisions prohibiting unilateral district placement change while an issue is in dispute would be eliminated.

Manifest determination rules can be weakened making it easier to suspend or expel a child with a behavioral disability.

Increasing the time for which a child can be removed to an “alternative learning environment.”

Decreasing the frequency parents must be notified of their rights.

Imposing a statute of limitations for holding a district legally accountable.

Imposing a state run resolution meeting on due process procedures.

Increasing the age for transition service from 14 to 16.

Our children with disabilities are some of the most defenseless citizens of the state of New Jersey.   Their rights are being trounced because lobbyists for organizations with billions in their coffers went to DC to lobby against our kids.  Our children need a champion – someone who will raise the issue of IDEIA 2004 and maintaining strong parental rights around these specific points.  We need more than vague reference to children with disabilities but instead specific calls upon the Statehouse to comply with the points of the petition drive.  You can review some of the signers and what parents of children with disabilities are encountering across the state of New Jersey by visiting http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org  .  You can even sign on to the petition.

Our organization will make sure that any support you provide to our children gets the utmost attention among our constituents.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                For Our Children,

 

 

 

                                                                                                                Robert S. Witanek