A Photo Report on the
May 17 Statewide Mobilization for the Rights of Student with Disabilities
Fifth Page
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Suzie Fiordland is pictured here addressing the demonstrators. She is
a parent in the Upper Freehold district who successfully brought a complaint in
her district where speech and language therapy sessions were not being properly
provided earlier this year. She holds in her hand a
report from
the State Commission of Investigation that documents the uncontrolled hidden
costs of salaries and perks for local school administrators. Suzie
wrote an article on the topic for the current issue of the NJ Student Advocate
which can be read here.
Suzie has been with the petition drive, NJ Student Advocacy Union effort through thick and thin and has supported the effort every way humanly possible. Given the rigors of personal challenges with the disabilities within her family, her commitment has been intense and consistent.
The Upper Freehold district school board district recently passed a
resolution that not only calls for the undermining of many important protections
for s
pecial
education children throughout NJ, it also scapegoats and promotes backlash
against students with disabilities. The text of this reprehensible
resolution is in the March 15, 2006 minutes at the district website at this
link.
NJ Student Advocacy Union co-founder Bob Witanek responded to the resolution in an opinion piece he placed in the local Messenger Press. You can read about the anti-special education resolution at this link.
When Bob addressed the demonstration, he congratulated the participating organizations and individuals. He congratulated the board on improvements to IDEIA 2004 implementation while reminding everyone of the hard work before us around the issues of stay put and discipline protections for children with behavioral disabilities. He outlined the issues addressed in the latest issue of The NJ Student Advocate. He called for an effort to scour the ranks of special education parents looking for potential candidates to field for local board office. Read here for more on this strategy.
He referred participants to the article about local organizing, surveying local parents about local grievances and planning an approach to local school boards in the 600 districts around the state. Read here for more on this strategy.
He denounced the growing tendency to scapegoat students with disabilities and
called upon participants to publicly respond whenever our children are blamed
for systemic failures. Read here.
In the wake of the Supreme Court Schaffer decision placing the burden of proof
in special education legal cases upon the parents, in most cases, Bob called for
an effort to pressure state legislators to pass legislation placing the burden
of proof on the districts in these cases.
For more . . .
Bob invited participants to join and affiliate with the NJ Student Advocacy Union and called for greater convergence between the various organizations around the state of NJ. He called for a movement toward political empowerment of special education children. He shared a vision of the active and coordinated engagement of hundreds of thousands of parents and relatives of the 225,000 special education students throughout the state of NJ. He invited participants to start by getting copies of The NJ Student Advocate out into their organizations and neighborhoods. He walked through the crowd and distributed 40 bags each containing 25 newspapers for participants to share in their neighborhoods. To see a PDF version of the paper, click here.
To read the testimony Bob provided to the board,
click here.
Next Page
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