SPECIAL EDition — Winter 2002

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National News

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Chance to Comment on IDEA

The Office of Special Education Programs has completed its series of public forums seeking input on the IDEA. The final one was held December 19, 2001 in San Antonio. It was well attended by parents, as well as school personnel.

If you were not able to attend the hearing, OSEP would still like to hear from you with any suggestions on how the IDEA might be improved. Congress will be looking at the IDEA closely next year and changes are anticipated.

Send your written comments to:

Tom Irvin
Office of Special Education Programs
Switzer Building, Room 4607
330 C St., SW
Washington, DC 20202
Fax: (202) 260-0416
thomas.irvin@ed.gov

OSEP is interested in hearing from parents not only about any changes they might like to see, but about components of the current law they think are working well and would NOT want changed.

OSEP to Visit

It's time again for the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to send a team to Texas to monitor the state for compliance with the requirements of the IDEA. At this point, we have little specific information. OSEP typically, however, visits several local school districts and conducts public hearings as a part of its process. They are tentatively scheduled to be in Texas the week of May 6-10, 2002. Details will be available at both TEA and Advocacy, Inc.'s websites as they become available.

Two Important Bills Passed

Congress has finally passed two important education bills: HR 1, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and HR 3061, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill.

Special education issues received a great deal of attention during the process of reauthorizing the ESEA. The final bill contained one significant victory and one significant loss for special education. The victory was the removal of language amending IDEA to weaken protections for students with disabilities in the discipline process. The loss was removal of the proposal to significantly increase federal funding of special education.

The discipline amendments will likely reappear next year when Congress must reauthorize parts of the IDEA. Some members of Congress opposed the inclusion of amendments changing the IDEA as a part of ESEA reauthorization, but may well support some of the changes in discipline protections opposed by advocates when the IDEA itself is up for reauthorization and revision.

SPECIAL EDition, Winter 2002