A Photo Report on the
May 17 Statewide Mobilization for the Rights of Student with Disabilities
Third Page
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Meanwhile,
volunteers pressed
The NJ Student Advocate newspaper into the hands of the demonstration
participants and employees and visitors to the DOE building. Special
acknowledgement is necessary for Rebecca Schaefer, an organizer from NJ ADAPT.
She persistently yet politely approached everyone who came within her area of
reach and offered them copies of
The NJ Student
Advocate paper. Rebecca is pictured at left in the pink hat and blue
shirt explaining to Bob Witanek from which stack of papers he should be
distributing.
Naomi Weiss of Cherry Hill offers a
message of solidarity and calls upon participants and any DOE folks who might be
listening to set the highest possible expectations for children with disabilities.
She encouraged pursuit of college and other levels of higher education for
special needs children. Also representing the southern Jersey area was
Kathleen Pennell, a special education advocate from Cherry Hill who supports
parents and students in Camden and Burlington counties.
Below, Kathleen and Naomi are
pictured wearing signs stating: "Emergency! End Racial Disparities in NJ Special
Education!" and "NJ Discipline Changes Help the Bullies!" Naomi's sign is
a reference to a priority as laid out in the founding
statement of the NJ Student Advocacy Union: "We
will also press for emergency action to eliminate racial disparities in special
education in New Jersey . . . " Kathleen's sign is a reference to the
problems that will result when children with disabilities are placed under the
zero tolerance discipline policies which some advocates refer to as "zero
intelligence" policies. Bullies will be able to provoke incidents that
result in su
spension
and expulsion of students with behavioral disabilities.
Below is another speaker from the
event,
Jonathan Corchnoy, an attorney and advocate licensed to practice in
Pennsylvania. Jonathan highlighted attention to the recent announcement
that all 50 states have failed to meet the No Child Left Behind standards for
teacher qualifications. He compared the Pennsylvania special education
resolution system favorably to the NJ due process system. Jonathan
believes there should be a class action lawsuit against NJ to hold it
accountable for what he believes are violations of IDEA given the long delays
between a parent's filing and resolution. The NJ Student Advocacy Union
congratulates those legal practitioners, advocates, service providers, etc., who
go the extra mile to lend their political support to the rights of our children.
Too many professionals work too hard to stay above the fray. Hopefully, Jonathan's exam
ple
is followed by others so there can be greater convergence between students and
parents, and practitioners and service
providers
whose professions are based partly upon our strife and the challenges of our
children.
Jonathan is speaking from behind a sign stating "Sub for 1 Hr.? $15 Teacher at IEP? Priceless." This sign is a reference to the IDEA revision allowing the dismissal of the regular education teacher from the IEP meeting. While on paper, NJ is requiring advance approval from parents for such dismissal, this change will give the districts enough wiggle room to make such dismissal common place. How can NJ ever move toward greater inclusion if the regular education teachers who know what supports they need to be successful will be dismissed from the table? How can our children be held to the NCLB standards when regular education advice will be disregarded. Our petition has opposed any such dismissal. We continue to press on this issue. Why create one more issue that parents need to advocate around?
IDEA provides for 15 states to participate in a pilot program to make IEPs occur every 3 years (unless parents request them more frequently). In March of 2005, OSEP director Barbara Gantwerk sent a letter to the districts asking for input as to whether NJ should participate in the 3-year pilot. (Gantwerk Letter / Parent Response ). Shortly thereafter we launched our petition which opposed NJ's participation in the 3-year pilot plan. Fortunately it is not happening yet in NJ. The reduction of IEP meetings and the reduction of staff required to attend are all part of an overall government strategy to reduce the role of parental input to the process. The US Department of Education has studied how much would be saved if IEP meetings were limited to 15 minute sessions! While we are not contending with that absurdity yet - that gives us an idea where we are heading.
So as the sign states and as our petition continues to assert, the regular education teacher needs to be at the IEP meeting. No wiggle room is acceptable. The miniscule savings of not having to hire a substitute (it is often that an administrator can cover the class at no additional cost) does not justify the bad practice of denying our children the valuable input from regular education teachers in our processes.
Ask the Advocate
NJ Complaint Form (MS Word)
(PDF)
On Line Public Hearing on IDEIA 2004
Survey on NJ OSEP Complaint
Process
Past Activities
IEP Wkshp
Rec. Programs for
those w/ Disabilities
An Evening of Educational Advocacy
September 8, 2005 Edison, NJ
What The Student Advocate Has Done for Our Children
Lately . . .
NJ IDEIA 2004 Organizing Committee
Minutes of IDEIA 2004 meeting on Thu., May
26
Student Rights Radio
Discussion, October 31
Effort to
Reach Gubernatorial Hopefuls and Acting Governor / Candidates
IDEA: An Update
Dec. 5, 2005
Middletown
January 18,
2006: Hold a Candle Light for Our Children's Rights
50 Strong For Our
Children
No. Jersey Radio Interview Aired, 1/22
Petitioning for Rights Children: Legal in Princeton
Interview on NJ IDEIA Rights
- Racial Disparities in Sp-Ed
Call
is Heard in Montgomery Twp: Inclusive Recreation
NJSAU Minutes 2/18/2006
Playing and Singing for
Our Rights, 4/1/6
Better IDEA Laws for Special Education
Students?
Better IEPs? Anything is Possible!
April
1 Report: Student Advocacy Union - Fundraising Concert
Mobilization for Rights
of Our Children, May 17, 2006, Trenton
Nationwide Internet Radio Rally for Sp-Ed Parent Rights
9pm EST, Sat. May 20
Parents’ Rally @ Statehouse in Trenton Thursday, June 8, 2006
Piscataway Parents Mtg, June 19, 2006