June 15, 2005
Barbara Gantwerk
Director, Office of Special Education Programs
Department of Education
PO Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
Dear Ms. Gantwerk,
This Monday, June 13, 2005, I attended a parent forum meeting in our school district, led by Ms. Deborah Masarsky, NJDOE Office of Special Education. While the purpose of the meeting was to elicit parent feedback on Branchburg’s Special Education program, I took the opportunity to raise several concerns about New Jersey’s impending implementation of IDEIA 2004. Her overall comment was that “New Jersey goes beyond Federal law” and that we should disregard any negative changes, i.e. they will not apply to the New Jersey Code. I sincerely hope she is right, but for the record:
I am writing to express great concern over the implementation of IDEIA 2004 in New Jersey. While my husband and I look forward to some of the provisions in the federal law that will enhance NJ special education law, we are most concerned about the many areas where the federal law will allow NJ to relax protections for parents and students and diminish our rights in this process. Our top concerns are the areas where federal relaxation of law will be detrimental to our 8-year old son's ability to attain a free and appropriate public education.
We are writing to call upon you as the chief advocate of our children to stand firm against any and all weakening of NJ special education law. As Ms. Masarsky stated, just because the federal government has weakened special education law and diminished the rights of special education parents and students with disabilities, it does not and should not mean that NJ has to follow course. Indeed, we are counting on you to hold the line against any such weakening and to turn your ear first and foremost to the parents and the advocacy organizations. We understand that you invited district, as opposed to family, feedback on IDEIA 2004. We are hoping that you recognize that the parents and the students are the most important members of the decision making process on IDEIA 2004. We hope that you consider our input first and foremost.
We, alongside our children, are the ones who will bear the consequences of any bad special education law that might be implemented during your watch. We have signed the petition at the http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org website.
Specifically, we are most concerned about the elimination of short-term objectives in an IEP. Common sense tells us that in order to achieve long-term objectives, small baby steps must be established and measured. We are concerned that changes such as this, intended to eliminate needless administration and documentation, will instead eliminate accountability.
Please be advised that I am sending a copy of this letter to Commissioner Librera, Acting Governor Richard Codey, all declared candidates for governor, my NJ Assembly and Senate representatives and to various advocacy organizations. I am also placing telephone calls to my elected representatives as a follow up.
Rest assured that special needs parents, our
families and friends, the advocacy organizations and our community allies are
all watching this issue quite closely and we are prepared to take the necessary
steps to assure the best possible outcome to protect the strongest possible
special education law given IDEIA 2004.
Sincerely,
Wanda Opdyke
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Rec. Programs for
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An Evening of Educational Advocacy
September 8, 2005 Edison, NJ
What The Student Advocate Has Done for Our Children
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NJ IDEIA 2004 Organizing Committee
Minutes of IDEIA 2004 meeting on Thu., May
26
Student Rights Radio
Discussion, October 31
Effort to
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IDEA: An Update
Dec. 5, 2005
Middletown
January 18,
2006: Hold a Candle Light for Our Children's Rights
50 Strong For Our
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No. Jersey Radio Interview Aired, 1/22
Petitioning for Rights Children: Legal in Princeton
Interview on NJ IDEIA Rights
- Racial Disparities in Sp-Ed
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is Heard in Montgomery Twp: Inclusive Recreation
NJSAU Minutes 2/18/2006
Playing and Singing for
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Better IDEA Laws for Special Education
Students?
Better IEPs? Anything is Possible!
April
1 Report: Student Advocacy Union - Fundraising Concert
Mobilization for Rights
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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