Message from Advisory Commission on Special Education Chair, Gina Plate for Supporting Gull Funding of the IDEA

Dear Special Education Funding Supporter:

 

We invite you to participate in this national effort that focuses on the urgent need for Congress and the President to fund the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) promise to provide 40% of the average per pupil expenditure to states. Based on 2013–14 data, this would result in over $1.6 billion in additional funding for special education programs in California, alone! Attached please find both state and national data statistics. We ask that you share this with your membership at the state and federal levels. Thank you!

                                    

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

July 24, 2015, and October 30, 2015

National Call-In Days

Fully Fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Promise

 

On Friday, July 24, 2015, the U.S. Department of Education, led by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), will host a large-scale celebration in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

We are calling on school administrators, teachers, advocates, parents, and students nationwide to use this special opportunity to call and email members of Congress and the President to urge them to FULLY FUND THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.

Friday, October 30, 2015, marks the 40^th anniversary of the passage of the federal IDEA, which included the promise by Congress to fund 40% of the average per-pupil expenditure to offset the costs of providing educational programs and services to students with disabilities.

We are calling on school administrators, teachers, advocates, parents, and students nationwide to use this special opportunity to call and email members of Congress and the President to urge them to FULLY FUND THE IDEA PROMISE.

 

Below is a TOOLKIT to assist you with this effort.

 

Where will I find my Congressional Representative’s contact information?

You can find your Congressional Representative contact information here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/. However, before you enter this website, you will need your zip code and four-digit zip code extension. The four-digit extension can be found here: https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction_input

How do I contact the President?

You can call, write, or email President Barack Obama. Contact information is located here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/write-or-call

What should I say in my communication to my Congressional Representative and the President?

We recommend you politely ask your Congressional Representative to support increased federal funding for special education programs and services. Below are some bullet points for your use:

·         As we approach the 40^th anniversary of the passage of landmark federal legislation that protects the rights of students with disabilities by ensuring that everyone receives a free appropriate public education (FAPE), we respectfully urge Congressman/woman ______________ to support a major funding increase for special education programs and services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The lack of federal funding impacts our ability to implement the strategies and services to our most vulnerable student population that are proven effective in improving achievement.

·         The cost of federally mandated special education services continues to rise, and the population of students with high-cost disabilities is increasing nationwide. The federal appropriation is not keeping pace with rising costs and we call on Congress to increase funding for these federally mandated responsibilities.

·         It is critical that Congress and the President make a permanent investment in IDEA funding by meeting the federal commitment to fund special education programs at the 40% of the average per-pupil expenditure level. It is time that this long-standing commitment to fund federal special education mandates be met.

SPREAD THE WORD

Please forward this e-mail to 5 friends and colleagues.

Ask them to e-mail or call Congress on

July 24, 2015, and October 30, 2015

Special Needs in the News at Examiner.com

Banning of shirt honoring student who lost life to Leukemia sparks outrage

Senator asks feds to provide tracking devices for children with autism

Confidentiality of information for students under IDEA

How does a parent remove consent for special education services under IDEA?

Facial Expression and Peer Judgment in Autism

Special education investigative report in San Francisco bay area

Part 3: A parent advocates for her ADHD child

Deafness and Hearing Loss

From the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)

Caroline’s Story
Caroline is six years old, with bright brown eyes and, at the moment, no front teeth, like so many other first graders. She also wears a hearing aid in each ear—and has done so since she was three, when she was diagnosed with a moderate hearing loss.

For Caroline’s parents, there were many clues along the way. Caroline often didn’t respond to her name if her back was turned. She didn’t startle at noises that made other people jump. She liked the TV on loud. But it was the preschool she started attending when she was three that first put the clues together and suggested to Caroline’s parents that they have her hearing checked. The most significant clue to the preschool was Caroline’s unclear speech, especially the lack of consonants like “d” and “t” at the end of words.

So Caroline’s parents took her to an audiologist, who collected a full medical history, examined the little girl’s ears inside and out, ran a battery of hearing tests and other assessments, and eventually diagnosed that Caroline’s inner ear (the cochlea) was damaged. The audiologist said she had sensorineural hearing loss.

Caroline was immediately fitted with hearing aids. She also began receiving special education and related services through the public school system. Now in the first grade, she regularly gets speech therapy and other services, and her speech has improved dramatically. So has her vocabulary and her attentiveness. She sits in the front row in class, an accommodation that helps her hear the teacher clearly. She’s back on track, soaking up new information like a sponge, and eager for more.

About Hearing Loss in Children
Hearing is one of our five senses. Hearing gives us access to sounds in the world around us—people’s voices, their words, a car horn blown in warning or as hello!

When a child has a hearing loss, it is cause for immediate attention. That’s because language and communication skills develop most rapidly in childhood, especially before the age of 3. When hearing loss goes undetected, children are delayed in developing these skills (March of Dimes, 2007).

Recognizing the importance of early detection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) recommends that every newborn be screened for hearing loss as early as possible, usually before they leave the hospital. Catching a hearing loss early means that treatment can start early as well and “help the child develop communication and language skills that will last a lifetime” (CDC, 2010).

Read more HERE.

Visual Impairment, Including Blindness

From the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)

Julian’s Story
When Julian was almost two years old, he developed this adorable habit of closing one eye when he looked at you. It almost seemed as if he were winking. The possibility that Julian had a visual impairment didn’t initially occur to his parents, but when Julian’s right eye started crossing inward toward his nose…

Off they went to the eye doctor, who confirmed that, yes, Julian had a visual impairment—amblyopia, often called “lazy eye.” As the most common cause of vision problems in children, amblyopia is the medical term used when vision in one eye is reduced because that eye and the brain are not working together properly. (1) Julian was also very farsighted, especially in the eye he’d taken to closing.

Soon Julian had a brand-new pair of durable glasses suited to his active two-year-old self. The eye doctor also put an eyepatch over Julian’s better eye, so that he would have to usethe weaker eye and strengthen its communication with the brain. Otherwise, the eye doctor said, the brain would begin to ignore the images sent by the weaker eye, resulting in permanent vision problems in that eye.

Julian took good care of his glasses, but he didn’t take well to the patch, unfortunately. He ripped it off every time his parents put it on…and back on… and back on again. So today his eye still turns inward if he doesn’t wear his glasses.

Visual Impairments in Children
Vision is one of our five senses. Being able to see gives us tremendous access to learning about the world around us—people’s faces and the subtleties of expression, what different things look like and how big they are, and the physical environments where we live and move, including approaching hazards.

When a child has a visual impairment, it is cause for immediate attention. That’s because so much learning typically occurs visually. When vision loss goes undetected, children are delayed in developing a wide range of skills. While they can do virtually all the activities and tasks that sighted children take for granted, children who are visually impaired often need to learn to do them in a different way or using different tools or materials. (2) Central to their learning will be touching, listening, smelling, tasting, moving, and using whatever vision they have. (3) The assistance of parents, family members, friends, caregivers, and educators can be indispensable in that process. More will be said about this in a moment.

Read more HERE.

Special EDition: March 2013 - Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), Part 2

From Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)

This month's Special EDition is the second of a two–part discussion about the principle of least restrictive environment (LRE). If a student with a disability qualifies for specialized instruction and services (special education) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the student must receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment.

As discussed in Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), Part 1, LRE requires the school district to ensure that:

To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children who do not have disabilities; and

Special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of students with disabilities from regular education happens only if the student's disability is so significant that education in regular classes, even with the use of additional aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

How is LRE measured?
Each IEP must state the extent to which the student with a disability will not participate with nondisabled peers in the regular class, and in extracurricular and nonacademic activities. This is written as percentage removed from regular class settings.

The IEP must also provide a written explanation of what placement options were considered and the reasons for rejecting these placements other than the regular classroom. The IEP must state why the student's disability prevents his needs from being met in the regular classroom, even with the use of extra supports and services. Federal and state policy forbid placing a student in a segregated setting over a general education setting if the placement decision is not based onstudent needs.

Read more HERE.

IDEA Sequester Cuts, By The Numbers

By Christina Samuels from On Special Education

The blog IDEA Money Watch compiled information released by the U.S. Department of Education and created a nice chart that spells out how much each state stands to lose in federal funding for special education, should the sequester cuts stay in place.

States received about $11.5 billion in Part B funds for fiscal year 2012—Part B refers to the special education dollars that are used to educate students ages 5 to 21. The numbers in this chart assume a 5 percent reduction in funding for fiscal 2013. As explained in my colleague Alyson Klein's excellent piece on frequently asked sequester questions, the sequester doesn't mean that states will immediately start to feel the pinch, because the money has been "forward-funded." Any budget impact would start to be felt more in the 2013-14 school year.

But in special education, states are obligated to provide a free, appropriate public education to their students. So, if funding is cut at the federal level, it would have to be made up with state or local dollars.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has gotten in hot water from some who say he is exaggerating the impact of these cuts. But in a visit to a preschool today, he told the media that he stands firm on the numbers.

Article HERE.

What is Compensatory Education

By Dennise from The Coffee Klatch

What is it?

Compensatory education is generally defined as a remedy owed to children with a disability who have been denied, a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Compensatory education may include summer services, additional therapy hours, or other measures that make the student whole for past violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by the School District. Compensatory education is intended to be a onetime offer to compensate for past denial of FAPE and doesn’t relieve the School District of providing FAPE on a go forward basis. Thus, compensatory education should be in addition to the necessary services to provide the child FAPE in the current or future Individualized Education Programs (IEP).

Read more HERE.

Disability Rights, Access to Education Vary Around the World

By Nirvi Shah from On Special Education

This blog rarely ventures beyond the borders of the United States, as it seems there are ample issues to discuss about special education on American soil. But today it seemed worthy of note that it's the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

For starters, the U.S. Senate is still debating whether to approve the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Council for Exceptional Children calls the document landmark and has been urging the Senate to ratify it, noting that 90 percent of children with disabilities in developing countries have no access to school, in sharp contrast to educational access for children with disabilities in America.

Although the treaty has bipartisan support, the National Review notes, and it has been signedby President Barack Obama, some senators oppose the measure because they believe it would not have any effect on people in the United States.

Read more HERE.

IDEA—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

From National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)

IDEA was originally enacted by Congress in 1975 to ensure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education, just like other children.  The law has been revised many times over the years.

The most recent amendments were passed by Congress in December 2004, with final regulations published in August 2006 (Part B for school-aged children) and in September 2011 (Part C, for babies and toddlers). So, in one sense, the law is very new, even as it has a long, detailed, and powerful history.

NICHCY’s website is full of information about IDEA. We are pleased to connect you with:

• Summaries of IDEA’s requirements, which shape what school systems do;
• IDEA itself—to read IDEA’s exact words, you can either download a copy of the law and its regulations, or read them here online;
• Guidance on IDEA from the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education;
• Legal analysis that’s appeared in law journals;
• Training materials on IDEA that you can use to fully inform yourself and others; and
• 20 indicators by which the Office of Special Education Programs measures States’ implementation of IDEA.

Read more HERE.

Concerned Parents lawsuit against California postponed

By Robin Hansen  from examiner.com

Due to a scheduling error, the motion to decide if the lawsuit against the California Department of Education can go forward has been postponed to July 27, 2012. MINUTE ORDER issued by Courtroom Deputy C. Schultz for Judge Kimberly J.

Mueller ORDERING the 7/13/2012 Motion Hearing as to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss [13] RESET for 7/27/2012 at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 3 before Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.

The California Concerned Parent Association have launched a lawsuit against the State of California Department of Education (CDE) for failing to enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as well as California special education law in public schools all over the state. Parents who have filed compliance complaints have found that even when the state finds non compliance, they don't follow through on enforcement or require proof of enforcement. The original solution to such a problem was to withhold state and federal funds from a school district until there is proof of compliance with the law. For some reason, the CDE will not simply take this step.

Read more HERE.

What is a Learning Disability, Really?

By Carol Murphy, MA, CCC-SLP from Special Education Advisor

When a parent attends an IEP meeting and the educational experts tell them their child has a learning disability, most times there is confusion. The reason is because the term can seem so broad that it can render itself almost meaningless. Several years ago a study was undertaken with professionals, teachers and parents asked to define the term “learning disabilities”. The results listed nearly 100 different definitions, almost as varied as the people who tried to define the term. Although some parents feel comfortable with finally having a name for their child’s problem, or a teacher might find a diagnosis helpful to at last getting a student help, it might be more useful to fully describe the issues and development, or lack thereof, that most students experience before finally being labeledlearning disabled.

Read more HERE.

Top Ten Common Questions About Special Education

By Dennise Goldberg from Special Education Advisor

1. What is the special education law that can help my child with a disability?

The foundation of today’s special education law was passed in 1975 and enacted in 1977. This was Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. In 1990 EHA was renamed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. IDEA was most recently reauthorized in 2004. The Purpose of IDEA is to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education or FAPE that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living.

It’s important to note that the law only guarantees an appropriate education and not the best education. Best is a four letter word and Parents should learn to replace it with the word appropriate when discussing their child’s special education needs.

With regard to IDEA a free appropriate public education means an education at public expense, under public supervision, that meets the state’s education standards and complies with the Child’s IEP.

Read more HERE.

OSEP Provides Guidance on the Number of Transition Goals Required in an IEP

By Doug Goldberg from Special Education Advisor

When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in 2004 the U. S. Department of Education through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) required states to develop State Performance Plans based on 20 indicators. The data would be submitted annually, by each State, in Annual Performance Reports. The 13th Indicator, or Indicator 13, relates to transition services for students.

The National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center (NSTTAC) which is funded by OSEP helps States achieve compliance with indicator 13 and have put together a checklistand a checklist frequently asked questions to help in their efforts.

Read more HERE.

Obama Plan For Special Education Leaves Advocates Disappointed

By Michelle Diament from disabilityscoop

Despite a heavy emphasis on education in the president’s budget proposal this week, advocates are worried that students with disabilities are being left out.

Funding for special education would remain largely flat under President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for 2013 that was released Monday.

Meanwhile, money for new programs like Race to the Top — a competitive grant program that awards money to states that commit to reform models — would grow dramatically.

And that has some advocates concerned.

Read complete article HERE.

Peer-Reviewed Research & Research Based Instruction

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when reauthorized in 2004 introduced the concept of Research Based Instruction. This was done in order to align the regulations with the No Child Left Behind Act and to hold Schools more accountable for the lack of progress children with disabilities were making in their classrooms.

Congress, in their findings, determined, “the implementation of this title (IDEA) has been impeded by low expectations, and an insufficient focus on applying replicable research on proven methods of teaching and learning for children with disabilities.”

With these findings in mind congress added to IDEA that all Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) must include, “a statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the child”

The first problem with this addition was IDEA did not define the term “peer-reviewed research” anywhere in the regulations. This created a number of requests for clarification which was addressed in the Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 156 Page 46664:

“Peer-reviewed research” generally refers to research that is reviewed by qualified and independent reviewers to ensure that the quality of the information meets the standards of the field before the research is published. However, there is no single definition of ‘‘peer reviewed research’’ because the review process varies depending on the type of information to be reviewed. We believe it is beyond the scope of these regulations to include a specific definition of ‘‘peer-reviewed research’’ and the various processes used for peer reviews.

Read more of Doug Goldberg's Special Education Advisor article HERE.

Highly Qualified Teacher in Special Education

By Dennise Goldberg from Special Education Advisor Blog

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 added a qualification requirement for special education teachers to be “highly qualified” to align with The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. Every Parent should understand what it means to be “highly qualified” and has the right to request the qualifications of any of your child’s Teachers.

Based on the U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet on Highly Qualified Teachers under the Know Child Left Behind Act:

• Highly Qualified Teachers: To be deemed highly qualified, teachers must have: 1) a bachelor’s degree, 2) full state certification or licensure, and 3) prove that they know each subject they teach.

• State Requirements: NCLB requires states to 1) measure the extent to which all students have highly qualified teachers, particularly minority and disadvantaged students, 2) adopt goals and plans to ensure all teachers are highly qualified and, 3) publicly report plans and progress in meeting teacher quality goals.

• Demonstration of Competency: Teachers (in middle and high school) must prove that they know the subject they teach with: 1) a major in the subject they teach, 2) credits equivalent to a major in the subject, 3) passage of a state-developed test, 4) HOUSSE (for current teachers only, see below), 5) an advanced certification from the state, or 6) a graduate degree.

• High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE): NCLB allows states to develop an additional way for current teachers to demonstrate subject-matter competency and meet highly qualified teacher requirements. Proof may consist of a combination of teaching experience, professional development, and knowledge in the subject garnered over time in the profession.

IDEA defines highly qualified to mean:

(A) In General. For any special education teacher, the term ‘highly qualified’ has the meaning given the term in Section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, except that such term also-

(i) includes the requirements described in subparagraph (B); and

(ii) includes the option for teachers to meet the requirements of Section 9101 of such Act by meeting the requirements of subparagraph (C) or (D).

Read complete article HERE.

Wisconsin Districts Ask to Cut Special Ed. Budgets Without Penalty

Disability advocates are upset that some Wisconsin school districts want to be able to cut special education spending without losing federal funds.

Disability Rights Wisconsin said they just recently learned of a May letter to Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wisc., asking for changes to the portion of the federal law requiring districts to keep spending on students with disabilities level from year to year. The clause is intended to buffer special education from the budget cycle and political whims.

"While we acknowledge difficult financial times over the past three years which have made state and local education budgeting decisions particularly tenuous, our state legislature has made deliberate choices in education funding priorities that have put pressure on [districts] to reduce school funding," the group wrote in a letter Thursday. "This should not result in decreased funding at the local level for the provision of a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities."

Generally, school districts can only cut special education spending if there's an actual decrease in expenses—say, if an experienced, highly paid special education teacher retires or a high-needs student leaves a district. Cutting the special education budget for almost any other reason means a district is running the risk of losing its share of federal funds. Districts have to restore spending to the amount before the cuts to get back in the good graces of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Read Nirvi Shah's On Special Education article HERE.

United Nation's International Day of Persons with Disabilities - December 3

Saturday, December 3 marks the 20th United Nation's International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This international day of observance promotes recognition of the rights, inherent dignity, and inclusion of people with disability. It gives us an opportunity to join with people around the world to renew our shared commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities realize human and civil rights. It reminds us that there remains work to be done here and abroad.

The United States has been a leader in ending discrimination and exclusion of people with disabilities and our strong body of civil rights laws, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have been models for laws in other countries, evidenced in DREDF's Directory of National Disability Non-Discrimination Laws.

Read more of the the DREDF article HERE.

Were Special Education, Title I, Other Programs Cut by Mistake?

By Nirvi Shah from On Special Education

When Congress passed a short-term budget bill that expires Nov. 18, lawmakers may not have realized what some of the bill's potential long-term effects might be on education spending—although states and school districts noticed their action right away.

Spending for four programs—special education, Title I, teacher quality, and career and technical education—for the current school year was cut, presumably well after most states and school districts had spending plans for the year in place.

"The states have had the rug pulled out from under them," said Lindsay Jones, the senior director of policy and advocacy services for the Washington-based Council for Exceptional Children. (See page 8 in this document for how the cuts break down in special education.)

Because of the way the current continuing resolution was written, only federal programs that get advance appropriations were affected, so spending on other education programs wasn't cut, at least not by this bill, and not right now.

The cuts total $329 million, the largest chunks of which are $163 million for Title I and $129 million for special education.

The impression special education advocates, including Ms. Jones, have is that Congress' action was inadvertent. They point to the U.S. Senate's spending proposal for the 2012 fiscal year, which would keep special education spending level, and the House proposal that boosts spending by $1.2 billion, albeit by cutting other education programs.

In all, the cuts represent a 1.5 percent decrease for each of the four programs. But if spending isn't returned to the level it was before the decrease, the percentage could grow significantly if funding is kept level for the 2012 fiscal year, since "level" will be a reduction. In a letter to House and Senate education committee leaders, the Committee for Education Funding pressed Congress to take action on both fronts.

"We urge you ... to provide funds to restore this $329 million cut," the letters read. "Schools had been anticipating the use of these funds as they had been included in an earlier allocation notification. We also urge that in the unfortunate event that this cut is not restored, that it not result in the reduction in the level of advanced appropriations provided in the FY 2012 bill... to avoid permanently lowering the baseline level of funding."

Article HERE.

Separate Education for Those in Special Education? Possibly

By Nirvi Shah from On Special Education

Will the teachers of students with disabilities, teachers who in many cases work with all subjects, have to meet a lesser standard than their counterparts? And will expectations for students with disabilities be lowered, too?

Maybe.

Those were some of the proposals offered during last week's markup of a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

One amendment offered by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., would have removed the requirement that teachers of students with disabilities be "highly qualified."

The current version of ESEA, the No Child Left Behind law, says that all teachers must have degrees in the subject they teach and be state-certified, and the bill passed by the committee last week and headed for the Senate floor retains that language.

Why would Sen. Paul offer to give special educators a break on that requirement? Because meeting the requirement can be especially complex for special education teachers, who may teach many subjects, but who may only have degrees in special education.

"Teachers do face complications in meeting 'highly qualified'" requirements, said Lindsay Jones, senior director for policy and advocacy for the Council for Exceptional Children. But "we should not bluntly remove them."

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act already provides some exceptions for special education teachers so they can attain the qualification, she said. "The fear is setting up a separate system of education."

While the amendment was quashed in the committee, Jones said she is sure it will resurface when the bill is debated by the full Senate.

Another proposal that died in the committee came from Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. He wanted to do away with limits on how many students with disabilities could take alternate tests, which are different than those their classmates take.

"The underlying concern we have with Isakson and Paul [is that their message is] 'It's too difficult to accommodate you, so let's separate you," Jones said. "When that happens, it's separate but not equal. It's not a 21st century vision of society."

But don't count that proposal out, either, she said.

While there are still some things in the bill that affect students with disabilities that the CEC and other groups dislike, Jones applauded the education committee chairman, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, for his remarks during the discussion of Isakson's testing proposal. If it passes in the long run, there is concern that the education of students with disabilities could become watered down.

She said Harkin tried to keep the focus on high expectations for these students. Harkin said that even kids with disabilities need a kick in the pants every once in a while, she recalled.

One thing that didn't come up at all, disappointing some advocates, was a proposal related to curbing the use of restraints and seclusion with students, although Sen. Harkin mentioned it during the debate.

Article HERE.