“All that's valuable in society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.”
-- Albert Einstein
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The Child Advocate and Attorney General recently released a report, Protecting Our Children: Improving Protections For Children When Allegations Are Made That School System Personnel Abused and/or Neglected Children, detailing the results of an extensive investigation into the response of local school districts, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the State Department of Education when school employees abuse or neglect children. As an Assistant Child Advocate, Attorney Ghio was the lead investigator for the Office of the Child Advocate and supports implementation of the recommendations made in the report.
The investigation, which spanned over four years and the entire state of Connecticut, found major flaws in the systems designed to protect children from abuse and neglect by school employees.
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Effective today, children placed in foster care or other out-of-home care by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) can stay in the school they were attending when they were removed from their home, rather than changing schools based on where they are placed. Until now, children who entered state care were required to enroll in school in the town in which they were placed. Because placement changes are common for children in DCF care, this meant that many children repeatedly changed schools within the same school year and over the course of many years. Children with disabilities, including children identified as in need of special education, were particularly disadvantaged as they moved from school to school, falling further and further behind their peers. Public Act 10-160, puts an end to this practice and ensures educational stability for children placed in DCF care.
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May 6, 2010 is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day!
According to National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 13% of children ages 8 to 15 have at least one mental disorder. Mental illness can have a profound affect on a child’s educational experience. If your child is struggling in school because of his or her mental health needs, consider requesting an evaluation to determine if your child has special education needs.
Some parents think children with mental illness aren’t eligible for special education services. That is simply not true. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Anxiety Disorders, Bi-Polar Disorder, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Personality Disorders, and other mental illnesses may qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Whether your child qualifies depends not upon your child’s diagnosis, but upon whether he or she has a disability that adversely affects educational performance.
If your child qualifies for special education, the school must provide special education and related services designed to meet your child’s needs so that he or she can be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum. This may include counseling, modification of class schedules, classroom aides, tutoring, or a behavior intervention plan. The services your child receives depend on your child’s individual needs and are determined at a planning and placement team (PPT) meeting in which an individualized education plan (IEP) is written.
To learn more about special education, including how to request an evaluation to determine if your child needs special education and related services, visit Special Education Resources. If you’ve advocated for your child and the school is still not meeting your’s child’s needs, you may need the help of an advocate or attorney with experience in special education law.
For more information on mental health, visit the National Institute of Mental Health or the Connecticut affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI-CT.
The Connecticut State Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, is hosting “A Facilitated Discussion About Students With Disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment.” The forum, which will be held on May 4, 2010, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Hartford, provides an opportunity for parents and advocates to express their views about educating students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. For more information, see this flyer from the Bureau of Special Education.
The National Down Syndrome Society is accepting applications for the Joshua O’Neill and Zeshan Tabani Enrichment Fund. The Fund provides grants of up to $2000 to pay for the tuition for a course or postsecondary program at a local college, educational institution, learning center or employment training program. Applications are available online. Applications must be postmarked/e-mailed by July 16, 2010.
A Weekend Retreat for Parents of Children with Disabilities will be held from May 14 to May 16, 2010 at the Guest House Center in Chester, Connecticut. Organized by Education Organizer, LLC, the retreat aims to “provide relaxation, reflection, and personal growth for parents facing the extraordinary stresses of raising a child with a physical, cognitive, or emotional disability.” For more information and to register online, go to Education Organizer, LLC.
Three years ago, the Connecticut legislature passed a law, Public Act 07-66, to require suspensions of students to occur in school unless “the administration determines that the pupil being suspended poses such a danger to persons or property or such a disruption of the educational process that the pupil shall be excluded from school during the period of suspension.” The law, if implemented, would have limited the use of out-of-school suspensions to those situations in which students truly need to be removed from the school environment. The law, now scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2011, makes sense. Students who violate school policies by doing things like swearing, wearing hats, or being disrespectful can not be excluded from school while students who pose a danger can. Sadly, implementation of the law has already been delayed twice and the legislature is again considering delay. Why? Because towns and cities have argued that law imposes an unfunded mandate. That is simply not the case. In an op-ed article entitled “Keeping Children Out of School Is Costly To Connecticut”, published on CT News Junkie, Jamey Bell, Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children (Voices), and Alexandra Dufresne, a Senior Policy Fellow with Voices and co-author the report “Missing Out: Suspending Students from Connecticut Schools”, make the case that in-school suspension is not a costly unfunded mandate and that keeping children in school is an important part of promoting economic growth in Connecticut. Children belong in school. Implementation of this important law should be delayed no longer.
A recently released report from The Nation’s Report Card shows a significant gap between reading proficiency of students with disabilities and other students in Connecticut. Among students in fourth grade and students in eighth grade, only 13% of students with disabilities scored at the proficient level while 46% of other students scored at the proficient level. While testing in all states revealed a significant gap between reading proficiency in students with disabilities and other students, it is noteworthy the gap in Connecticut is larger than the gap in New York and Massachusetts. Such a significant gap in reading proficiency raises important questions about whether students with disabilities are receiving the individualized instruction and services necessary to ensure educational progress, not only in Connecticut but across the nation. You can view the entire report, view state profiles and comparisons, and create custom tables and graphs by going to The Nation’s Report Card.
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