The proposed changes to the VA Special Ed Regulations > Autism Help Network

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

The proposed changes to the VA Special Ed Regulations
By Steve Wolfson @ 12:30 AM :: 1104 Views :: 4 Comments

Let me be the first to thank Doug and Beth for giving us this forum to express our concerns and needs. Hopefully this will be the first of many helpful postings and reach many parents with the information and outlet they need. I also want to point out that even though this is the Autism Help Network, most issues are not exclusive to people with Autism. I'm asserting that most of the issues covered here will be useful to both children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

That being said, the VDOE draft of the Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities are a far cry from where they should be. It seems to me that they are severely one sided and tilt the rights and responsibilities away from the parents. Virginia has a long history of doing much better that the federal regulations mandated, and it seems that they are trying to reduce and diminish the services they provide. This draft was written by the administration, without much input from the parents involved. Now is the time to stand up for our rights. We must band together and make our voice be heard. Please attend one of the many meeting scheduled devoted to this matter and write VDOE with you views, and write often.

Any comments?

Comments

By Cathy @ Monday, December 10, 2007 4:55 PM

I hope the community accesses this site for the important information that it contains. It is important to let your voice be heard... I am not a parent, but have been in the field of special education for over 30 years. There have been many improvements, but there continues to be much more work to ensure that all individuals have equal access to the opportunities available. As an educator, I am thankful to all of the hard work you, as parents, do to help your children.

By andreitoyanate @ Saturday, January 12, 2008 11:16 AM

Just to restate the obvious: The single most important thing we can convey to our policymakers, lawmakers (as well as to those who should implement and enforce) is the importance of keeping parental consent in the Virginia regulations. Complacency or silence for fear of recourse in being vocal about parental rights and concerns for our children, though often hard to overcome, merely lessens the impact that a coalition of advocates can bring to bare. Tell them what must be done – And do whatever you can to ensure what must be done gets done!

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, December 11, 2007 10:38 AM

The most important thing we can convey to our lawmakers is the importance of keeping parental consent in the Virginia regulations. It is the only input we have as parents that must be considered! I hope everyone takes the time to attend a hearing, send an email, or write a letter telling our personal stories so our legislators can understand what it is like to walk in our shoes.

By Evoldish @ Friday, December 28, 2007 7:53 PM

This is a wonderful site! Thank you Doug and Beth for providing us with this great source of information sharing and networking opportunities.

One of the first topics I would like to address is the Proposed Changes to the Special Education Regulations Governing Children with Disabilites in Virginia. I hope all parents of children receiving special education services in Virginia will make themselves familiar with the proposed changes and how they will affect their child's education. In my opinion, the most important is the change to Parental Consent. If this change takes place we, as parents, will lose a critical protection. The Parental Consent regulation, as it stands now, allows us a powerful role in the decision making process that shapes our children's individual education plans (IEP's) and their futures. We cannot afford to sit back and let our role and our rights be diminished. Virginia has always gone beyond the minimum mandated by Federal Regulations and they can continue to do so. However, unless the state department of education gets a strong, clear message from the parents of Virginia's children receiving special education services, this change and others will be made.

Up until now, the VA Dept. of Ed. has heard repeatedly from school system administrators as to why the Special Education regulations (including Parental Consent) need to be reduced to the minimum federal requirements. Now is the time to let the Dept. of Ed. hear from us. Don't let this change happen. Come to the Larc Parent Group meeting on January 10th at 7 p.m. and find out how you can make a difference in the Special Education Revision process. For more information call Larc at 703-777-1939.

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