It is with great pleasure that I announce the addition of Emilee Guerrera to my office. Emilee is an experienced paralegal with a strong educational background. She earned her Certificate in Legal Studies from Naugatuck Valley Community College before transferring to Central Connecticut State University where she is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree.
Yes! Parents of children with special education needs often wonder if they can invite the paraprofessional working with their child to the PPT meeting. In Connecticut, parents can not only ask for paraprofessionals to participate in the PPT, they have a right to it! In 2015, the Connecticut legislature amended the law to make it clear that parents the right to have the school paraprofessional assigned to the student attend the PPT meeting
More and more children with disabilities are benefiting from service dogs. Some children have service dogs who alert them to the presence of allergens. Some service dogs alert to an oncoming seizure. Still other service dogs are trained to interrupt self-injurious behavior, provide stability for children with mobility impairments, or prevent the child from running away. Service dogs help children with disabilities develop independence they would not otherwise have. When children use service dogs, the law allows them to be accompanied by their service dog, even in school
I think it is important for people to understand why service dogs matter. Service dogs help people with disabilities live with more independence than they otherwise would. They help in ways that those of us who live without disabilities and without the need for service animals can't fully understand and appreciate
This week, the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) released videos of children being restrained and placed in seclusion at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), the state’s locked facility for boys, and the Pueblo unit at Riverview Hospital, the state’s locked facility for girls. The videos are a disturbing reminder of how our state fails some of our most vulnerable children
A new law limits the suspension or expulsion of children in pre-school through second grade. The laws regarding suspension and expulsion for students in Grade 3 to 12 are unchanged
SpEdCT will soon be holding its annual “What You Need to Know About Special Education," a seminar for parents and professionals. This year, as always, the series will be packed with
Just last week, the Governor signed Public Act 11-93, imposing new requirements intended to protect children from abuse by school employees. The law adopts recommendations made in a report issued in July 2010 by the Office of the Child Advocate and the Attorney General
The Connecticut legislature’s Committee on Education will hold a public hearing today to consider Raised Bill 6326, An Act Concerning the Response of School Districts and The Departments of Education and Children and Families to reports of Child Abuse and Neglect. If passed, the bill would implement the recommendations of the Child Advocate’s report
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