Advocating for Children
with Special Needs:
National PTA Legislative
Conference 2015
Lindsay E. Jones, Esq.
Director, Policy & Advocacy
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Today’s AGENDA
• ESEA
• Opportunities
• Threats
• IDEA
• Hot Topics
• 3rd Grade Reading, CBE
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Through Your Child’s
Eyes
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It would be a game changer
for policy to embrace the
notion that these kids
learn differently,
not less than.
- Michael Yudin,
U.S. Department of Education
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Perception Problem
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Entrepreneur/Self Advocates:
In grade two, I won a city-wide speaking
competition, but nobody ever
said, ‘‘Hey, this kid's a good
speaker. He can't focus, but
he loves walking around and
getting people energized.”
No one said, ‘‘Get him
a coach in speaking."
-Cameron Herold, ADHD
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OSEP Letter on RTI
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ESEA / NCLB
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ESEA is Important because most
SWD spend the full day in General
Education
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Important Improvement
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Important Improvement
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NCEE Report (Feb 2015)
• When schools are held accountable for
the performance of SWD, they are more
likely to:
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Deliberately move SWD from self-contained
settings to regular education classrooms.
• Provide 2-3 hours/day of extra instruction in
reading and math for students with
disabilities.
• Have access to co-teaching (general and
special educators)
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Opportunities & Threats
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Opportunities & Threats
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It’s a misperception that
students with learning and
attention issues can’t do
well. We should have high
expectations for these kids,
too.
- Laura, Mother of 9th Grader with
Dyslexia (and in advanced Math)
from Maryland
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Alternative Assessment Bills
The Empowering Parents & Students Through Information
Act S.528 introduced by Senator Casey (PA) would ensure
that parents are actively involved in the decision for their child
to be assessed using an AA-AAS. Parents must give informed
consent and be made fully aware of how taking the AA-AAS
will impact their child’s future.
The Every Child Counts Act 2.516 introduced by Senator
Murphy (CT) would ensure that students with disabilities are not
pushed into alternative assessments simply to boost school
scores by providing a cap on the number of students who can
take these tests. This would ensure students are included in the
general curriculum as much as possible and parents have
information about how their kids are doing.
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Questions?
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IDEA
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IDEA: Transition
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2014 Allegra Ford Thomas
Scholarship Recipient
• “The hardest part of my
• journey with LD hasn’t been
• the tests or even the grades. It’s been the
low expectations for kids who learn
differently. …the truth is that this struggle
has made me stronger. I’m ready to take
on anything! – Kaila Hatton
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Twice Exceptional Students
• According to a literature review by the WV
Department of Education, teachers were
less willing to refer a student with gifted
characteristics for gifted education if they
were told the student had a learning
disability.
• Students who receive IDEA services
make up 12% of all high school
students but only 2% of students
enrolled in an AP course.
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Restraint & Seclusion
• On February 12th, Congressman Don
Beyer (D-VA) introduced the Keeping All
Students Safe Act, H.R. 927.
• This would require limiting restraint and
seclusion to imminent threats of physical
danger; same-day parental notification;
ban dangerous restraints; and implement
training on prevention.
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Discipline and Restorative Justice
• HELP committee member Senator Casey
will be releasing the Keep Kids in
School Act which aims to reduce
suspensions and expulsions in schools.
• He also recently introduced the Prepare
All Kids Act (March 4th, 2015).
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Questions?
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New Hot Issues
• 3rd Grade Reading Laws
• Competency Based
Education (CBE) –
Personalized Learning
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Questions?
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CBE
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Questions?
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On to the Hill!!!
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Rand Paul’s 11th Hour
Amendment
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