The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter
January 9, 2002
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The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter January 9, 2002 |
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Highlights: New game plan for discipline problems; prevention research; new Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities; Spring schedule of training and conferences; learn about Boot Camp; new decision from U. S. Supreme Court. Subscribers on January 9, 2002: 35,082 Download Link for this Newsletter Do you feel helpless and frustrated? Combat negative feelings by helping others. How? Download, print and distribute a Wrightslaw flyer. Where? At schools, churches, day care centers, your pediatrician's and psychologist's offices! Still frustrated? Forward this newsletter or the subscription page to your friends. Together we can make a difference! Message From the Editor After we published the first issue of The Special Ed Advocate in the new html format, we received messages from dozens of folks who had strong opinions, pro and con. About a dozen subscribers who use an older version of AOL reported problems with the new format. To those
of you who asked us to publish two versions, we hope you understand
that we simply do not have the time to do this. If you have problems
with the format, you can download this
issue of the newsletter from the site. Download last
week's issue. URL: https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/nwltr/2002/nl.0109.htm Help! My Child is in Trouble! Wrightslaw Game Plan for Discipline & Behavior Problems "My son who has a learning disability is in trouble at school. A boy brought a bottle of root beer to school and shared it with my son and another boy. The student who brought the bottle to school mentioned that root beer may contain alcohol." "After learning that root beer may contain alcohol, my son notified school officials. The school expelled all three boys and is trying to expel them for an entire semester. We requested a manifestation hearing so my son is still in school. What are the rules about expelling children from school?" What do you think this father should do? Read our advice in the new "Wrightslaw Game Plan for Discipline & Behavior Problems." For information,
FAQs, articles, caselaw, and other resources about discipline, behavior
problems, functional behavior assessments and behavior plans, visit
the new Discipline/Behavior
Page. Prevention Research: A Guide for School Administrators If you are a school administrator, download this 8 page article about research-validated practices that use positive behavior interventions and supports. Outcomes include reduced discipline referrals AND improved academic performance. The article includes the legal requirements about discipline under the IDEA. If you are a parent or teacher and are dealing with an administrator who wants to suspend or expel a disabled child, you can use this article from the U. S. Department of Education as your sword and shield. Make copies of the article for the members of your child's IEP team - and your school superintendent and school board! URL: https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/discipl.oz.prevent.osep.pdf New Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities We are building "Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities" so people who love and work with our children can get information, support, and connect with one another. When we visited Hawai'i last month, we asked Boot Camp participants / survivors for resources that helped them so we could include these resources in the "Hawai'i Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities." As a way to say "thank you" to our Hawai'i friends, we have added their recommendations to the Hawai'i Yellow Pages. We
have built Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities for ten states.
Please check the Yellow Pages and let us know about any corrections we
need to make.
We hope you will bookmark your state's Yellow Pages and use these resources often. Visit the Help pages on Fetaweb.com Spring 2002 Schedule Do you want to learn more about special education law and advocacy? Join Pete and Pam Wright on Saturday, February 2 in Lincoln, Nebraska for a full day of advocacy training sponsored by the Nebraska Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. For info, contact Wid Dockhorn or call 402-477-2717 Our spring
schedule also includes stops in Cleveland, OH; Chicago, IL; Columbus,
OH; Racine, Wisconsin; Richmond, VA; South Carolina; Montgomery County,
MD; and Minot, ND. February 23, 2002: Chicago, IL. Sponsor: Special Connections. Conference will be held at Niles North High School. For info, email Contact@special-connections.org or call Special Connections 312-914-0591 March 2, 2002. Columbus, OH. Children's Hospital Education Center. For info, call 614-722-4949. March 8-9, 2001. Wrightslaw Boot Camp, Racine WI. Pending. March 22-23, 2002. 2-day program, Partners in Policymaking, Richmond, VA. (Closed to public) April 3-4, 2002. Wrightslaw Boot Camp, Columbia, SC. Pending. April 13, 2002. Montgomery County, Maryland. Sponsored by Learning Disabilities Association of Montgomery County (LDAMC). For info, email or call 301-933-1076 April 26-27, 2002. Wrightslaw Boot Camp, Minot, ND. Sponsored by Pathfinder Services of North Dakota. For details, call 800-245-5840 or 701-837-7500. If you are interested in having the Wrights speak at a conference or event, please read the Schedule Page. What is Boot Camp? "Two standard deviations above the mean is WHAT?" "98!" "And where are the regs about IEPs?" "300.340 - .350 and Appendix A!" "And what is your mission?" "Page 24 of Wrightslaw!" After two days of intensive advocacy training, parents, advocates, and attorneys are exhausted and empowered. Is this advocacy training - or advocacy boot camp with Pete Wright as drill instructor? What people are saying about Boot Camp . . . New Decision from U. S. Supreme Court On January 8, 2002, the U. S. Supreme Court issued a decision in an ADA workplace case. Several parents wrote to ask if this case would have a negative impact on children with "hidden handicaps" who do not receive services under IDEA but who have Section 504 plans. After reading the decision, it seems clear that the Justices intended to limit the increasing numbers of ADA workplace cases. We do not
believe this decision will adversely impact children with disabilities
in educational settings. Adult workplace disability issues are quite
different from issues of access to an education. In 1993, the same Supreme
Court issued a unanimous decision in favor of Shannon in Florence
County School District Four v. Shannon Carter. Justice O'Connor
authored that opinion too. Download
the new decision in Toyota
Motor Manufacturing v. Ella Williams. Subscription & Contact Info The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, tactics and strategy, and Internet resources. Subscribers receive announcements and "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw books. To
subscribe. Read back issues
of Special
Ed Advocate.
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