ANALYZING THE CHANGE OF SCHEDULE OF STATE
HEARINGS ON CODE CHANGES
By Bob Witanek,
http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org
Advocate@StudentAdvocate-NJ.org 908-881-5275
To link to this story:
http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/analyzing_the_change_of_schedule.htm
On Saturday, February 4,
2005, after a week of internal discussions, over two dozen parents, guardians
and supporters of NJ
special education students published a “Student Advocacy: A Call to Union.” (
See:
http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/NJSAU_Signup.htm ) We announced our plans
to organize the New Jersey Student Advocacy Union. Among our first plans of
action are an effort to call upon Governor Corzine to meet with a delegation of
parents to receive the IDEIA 2004 petition(http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/Corzine_Accept_Petition_Letter.htm
) that has been coordinated from the Student Advocate Website,
http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org and to pressure for a more inclusive,
collaborative and democratic public hearing process. We specifically called for
changing the scheduling of the March 15 meeting either as an evening meeting or
by moving it to the weekend. (See:
http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/call_for_inclusiveBOEHearings.htm )
We also
announced plans to demonstrate outside the Department of Education (DOE)
building in Trenton
before the previously scheduled March 15 hearing on special education code
revisions. On
February 9, 2005,
just 5 days later, we received a letter from John Worthington of the DOE’s
Office of Special Education announcing that the March 15 hearing has been
rescheduled. (See the state letter and our response at:
http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/NJDOE_reschedules.htm )
Now it is
remotely possible that the changing of the meeting had nothing to do with our
efforts and the efforts of other organizations that have been rallying around
the demand for a more inclusive, collaborative and democratic testimony hearing
process. I would tend to speculate however, that the meeting schedule change
has everything to do with our efforts and the efforts of others including SPAN
and many other groups that have called for changes to the process. I would
suspect also that it has everything to do with our issuing of a statement signed
by 40 parents founding members of the NJ Student Advocacy Union specifically
calling for a demonstration outside the now postponed March 15 meeting.
Accepting this real possibility that our efforts *do* have something to do with the changed schedule, that we are impacting how this issue is transpiring, what could be the motivation of the change?
1. On the plus side, it could mean that since we have mounted such a successful effort to affect the outcome of this process, the state could realize that it is in everyone’s best interest to make some changes – more than they originally had planned. If that is the case, perhaps they need more time for same. Perhaps some powerful figure that we have been trying to reach with our effort is looking into the matter.
2. Another distinct possibility is that the state could be doing an end run around us. Look at the dates: April 5 BOE discussion, May 3 proposal level regulations, and then into the summer break with a June 21 hearing, an August 2 Adoption level meeting and implementation on September 5. Scheduling meetings in the summer at a time when mass organizing is generally more difficult, when many families are on vacation is a common tactic for minimization of public participation. Stretching the process out could also be an attempt to diminish the momentum that we have generated with the rally outside the January 18 hearings, the massive testimony participation, the very successful news outreach efforts and the follow up formation of the NJ Student Advocacy Union.
In any event, if you accept
the premise that we have had any impact on the rescheduling, it would represent
one of many ways that we have impacted this process so far:
1. The January 18 meeting was shifted to an evening time slot as a response to
the demands of ours and other parents and advocacy organizations.
2. The state attempted to shut down the phone line in the last 3 days of registration process – through our vigilance we were able to keep the registration process open. Through letters in the paper that advertised the state phone number, numerous last minute testifiers were registered.
3. While the state tries to keep the debate tucked away in tiny rooms at the DOE, we have pushed this discussion out into the news media.
And now we have this change of the meeting schedule. The point is that we are having impact where many thought that we would not. What we are doing *is* making a difference. Whether or not it will influence the outcome of the 11 points on the petition and in other areas of concern will remain to be seen. The potential is there – we need to seize that potential and make the most of it. We need a tornado of parental involvement to press the issues forward while we have their attention.
I have askied the state to
clarify the letter from John Worthington. It states that the Board of Education
(BOE) will not meet in
Trenton in March. Does that
mean the meeting location has been changed? Many have demanded regional
hearings yet the state website states “Regional testimony sessions are not
scheduled at this time.” (see
http://www.state.nj.us/njded/sboe/meetings/regtest.shtml ) If the meeting
is simply postponed or canceled – why did Mr. Worthington simply state that the
BOE would not meet in March. What are the times of the meetings in question?
The board is very good at holding meetings at 3 pm when parents are at the curb
waiting for their children. That is just one more way that they demonstrate
disdain for our input. We have been demanding changes of time and that meetings
be rescheduled for the weekends. All of the meetings they announced today are
on Wednesdays. What time? Will they continue to schedule for 3 pm to make sure
that parental input continues to be made next to impossible?
(See:
http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/NJDOE_reschedules.htm )
Our next steps need to be to continue to pressure for an inclusive,
collaborative and democratic process. Please take a few minutes to get a letter
out today. Use the one at this link and modify it to your liking:
http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/call_for_inclusiveBOEHearings.htm
We also need to make plans to mobilize for a major demonstration outside one of the scheduled meetings. We have several meetings to choose from and we should pick one of them that best suits our ability to organize. We should make the rally truly massive and statewide in character as well as inclusive of the diverse forces and organizations that make up what is shaping up to be a movement to assert the rights of our children before NJ state government.
Shortly we will be
announcing the founding meeting of the NJ Student Advocacy Union. Join us today
at this link:
http://www.studentadvocate-nj.org/NJSAU_Signup.htm
We have only begun to take our stand!
For All of Our Children,
Bob Witanek
908-881-5275
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