Do You Think This is Only Happening in Texas?

Published: Thu, 12/27/18

Have you heard about the gatekeepers in Texas that had been denying so many children the services and supports that they're entitled to? Well, chances are this is also happening in your state!

Educators were ordered to make it hard for students to get special ed. services. Teachers were required to go through several cycles of interventions before a child could be evaluated for special education services. Schools pushed students out of special education.

Despite these shameful acts, The Texas Education Agency (state department of education) contended the decline in special education students was due to new teaching techniques. Is Texas Education Really All That?

While watching the replay below, be thinking about how what you learn today can help you make systemic changes in your state.

Join Christine Broughal, and Mara Laviola, advocates in Texas who serve on the steering committee of TxSER – Texans for Special Education Reform.

We discussed:

* the illegal cap of 8.5% for students receiving special ed. services
* the corrective action plan
* recent 5th Circuit decision that ordered the Texas Ed. Agency special

education funding formula violated IDEA.

Over 1.9 thousand people have watched this video. Catch the replay below.

Getting Support For Your Child

If you want to watch the video later, catch it on my YouTube channel.

When you're on the go, listen to the podcast. Click here.

Check out these Key Take-Aways by going to the specific time stamp in the video, or on the podcast.

* In September of 2016, there was evidence that there had been

like a 13 year practice in Texas where they would cap the

enrollment of students in special ed to 8.5%. 2:07

* Teachers were told that they had to try intervention after

intervention, going through lengthy response to intervention

processes before they would even evaluate students. 2:27

* January 2018 the U.S. Department of Education did an

investigation and they found that Texas education agency had

failed in students in three main ways. 2:52

* Is your district/state failing students in these 3 ways? 3:08

* In November 2018, there was a decision from the Fifth

Circuit Court of Appeals and they confirmed that the

US Department of Ed. was within its right to penalize the state $33,000,000 for reducing its special ed funding in 2012. 3:42

* Why were students denied special ed. services? 8:17

* Where did the 8.5% cap come from? 10:11

* How did parent testimonies have a positive impact? 11:35

* Why did the Texas Ed. Agency's Corrective Action Plan

get rejected by the U.S. Dept. of Ed.? 15:07

* What did the U.S. Dept. of Ed. say had to be included in

their Corrective Action Plan? 16:36

* If you're concerned about your state and you want to try

to see what are they doing... 19:01

* The Fifth Circuit decision, the maintenance of financial support 24:17

* How advocates can work with state legislators 27:51

* Teacher Preparation Bill 29:17

* Seclusion and Restraint Bill 33:46

* How to be involved in Policy Making 39:54

* What has to be in place for teachers to implement change 49:14

Here are some quotes from the recent The Art of Advocacy show.

The parents were articulate. They of course were emotional at times. But, they were a force to be reckoned with and I think that really caught the attention of the federal government. I think they were surprised by the level of participation of people came out for these listening sessions.

Mara LaViola

If you're concerned about your state, you want to try to see what are they doing with Response to Intervention (RTI). See if the number of 504 Plans are swelling. Find out what's happening with specific learning disabilities or struggling learners. Are they being held in other types of educational settings for far too long?

Mara LaViola

Parents may want to look and see if there is a timeline in their state for how long a child should be in such a program (RTI), if they offer a multitiered system of support because that was a big thing.

Christine Broughal

At any point during the RTI process a parent can write a request

for a special education evaluation and that should happen that should stop right there and they should go forward with the evaluation or the denial of the evaluation and then they can pursue due process if necessary.

Christine Broughal

The Texas Special Education Reform group is a really good model to look at. This idea of having our allied partners with other organizations involved and also including teachers and anybody. It's a good model for other states to utilize. So with that being said, we are stronger together.

Mara LaViola

More collaboration between general and special education is going to help to meet the needs of not just special education students but all students.

Christine Broughal

With Universal Design for Learning (UDI) and other types of strategies that are similar, we can truly create that inclusive setting where our children are part of the classroom itself and contributors and givers and just learning along with their peers.

Mara LaViola

We have so many pockets around our country of people creating positive change and sometimes it's one kid at a time which is a terribly slow way to make any systemic change.
Charmaine Thaner

I even suggest to parents that we don't have special education PTAs or special education PTOs. Instead, we join the typical PTA or PTO and because universal design for learning and positive behavior supports affect everyone, so the more parents we can include, the stronger our voices.
Charmaine Thaner

My dream is that we go beyond special education. There are many other kids that are typically marginalized in our schools that don't have a disability. That's why I hope more school districts will embrace universal design for learning.

I think when we blend the principals of Universal Design for Learning and Inclusion together, we get Universal Design for Inclusion (UDI). We can bring in other strategies like co-teaching, multiple intelligences and positive behavior supports, and that is going to help every single child sitting in that room.

Charmaine Thaner

It's invigorating to know that possibilities and opportunities are there for all of us to work together and make this systemic change a reality. I keep saying I want to work myself out of a job.

Charmaine Thaner

We need to develop relationships with the media, look at government, the media, and see who's in print, on TV, whoever supports education, develop relationships with them and then give them the data that they need. Emotional stories are powerful at times, but often times they want the underlying data as well.

Mara LaViola

Each of us can learn from what has happened and is happening in Texas. These resources can help as you advocate for systemic change in your state.

Check out the website of the Texans for Special Education Reform Click here.

This is a must have resource for your advocacy tool kit: Office of Special Education Programs, Memo: Response to Intervention Can't Delay a Special Education Evaluation Click here.

Disability Rights Texas had a FB live show about 2 months ago: The Big 3 Things You Need to Know About the Feds' Response to the TEA Corrective Action Plan. To view, click here.

No live show on Thursday, December 27th. We are rescheduling our guest, Marcie Lipsitt, Michigan advocate for a later date.

HOWEVER, I know you've probably watched enough Hallmark movies and so I'll post a very popular FB live show you can watch on Dec. 27th at noon Mtn. Time, 2pm ET, 1pm CT, 11am PT. Hmmm... can you guess which replay you can catch???
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Kathie Snow, internationally known author and speaker will help you start the New Year on Thursday, January 3rd. Put it on your calendar now. Noon Mtn. Time, 2pm ET, 1pm CT, 11am PT.

Kathie helps us remember, Disability is Natural and will push your thinking in new ways. I'd love for you to be with us live!

I hope you created new wonderful Holiday memories and are ready to make 2019 the best year yet!

Take care,

P.S. I started a new, free facebook group, Universal Design for Inclusion. Click here.

In this group we'll focus on Universal Design for Learning and Inclusion. When they intersect we have Universal Design for Inclusion!

☑️ We will be talking about including students that have typically been marginalized in our schools - not just students with IEPs or 504 Plans.

Parents and educators are welcome to join us. 💞 YOU will help create this community. 💞 You're encouraged to share posts, comments, and ask questions.

My hope is through our collaboration we will create systemic change in each of your schools/districts/communities. 💥 We need YOU to make change a reality.

P.S.S. Ask your friends to join our FB group, Universal Design for Inclusion. ☎️

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