Nine out of ten students attend public schools, so parents need to speak up on issues affecting their child's classroom. Learn how to advocate for public education and reach out to elected officials during Give Kids Good Schools Week -- October 10th through 16th -- by going to Give Kids Good Schools. You can also see how your child's school stacks up against the rest.
On March 28, 2009 at 8:30 PM, local time, World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments, and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour -- Earth Hour -- to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate their commitment to finding solutions. Turn out. Take action. Be part of this historic event.
http://www.earthhourus.org/
www.EarthHourKids.org
Do you have a child who is failing - and you don't know why? Is it possible your child has an unidentified disability? Do you expect your child to graduate from high school school? Are you afraid your child will be part of the "silent epidemic" - a dropout?
Read the article "Doing Your Homework" (found at http://www.wrightslaw.com/heath/dyh.index.htm) to find some answers to help you learn about research based instruction, school improvement, and creative advocacy strategies so you can help your child.
Poor Man's Remedy to Move Child with Special Needs to Private School
The harsh reality is that most families cannot afford to remove their child from an inappropriate public school program and pay tuition for a private placement, while also incurring the expenses of a due process hearing and subsequent litigation.
In Jarron Draper vs. Atlanta Independent School District (N.D. GA 2007), the 11th Circuit fashioned a "poor man's Burlington remedy" for these families. The Act does not relegate families who lack the resources to place their children in private schools to shoulder the burden of proving that the public school cannot adequately educate their child before those parents can obtain a placement in a private school. The Act instead empowers the district court to use broad discretion to fashion appropriate relief.
This decision should help special needs families and their counsel in negotiating settlements that provide quality educational remediation when their child has been denied a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
When the school system fails to provide FAPE, the family can and should ask for compensatory education from a non public agency or school.
Public schools often offer to provide compensatory education in the form of supplemental educational services provided by their staff. Since the public school failed to provide FAPE previously, compensatory educational services provided in the future (prospectively) by school district staff is generally an ineffective remedy. The same teachers who previously failed to educate the child would be responsible for remediating their past failures.
Simple themes win cases. In Jarron's case, the themes included the following: the school system failed to appropriately evaluate him, misdiagnosed him as mentally retarded when he had dyslexia, and failed to teach him to read.
If schools don't teach children the basic skills of reading, writing and math, these children will not have an opportunity to become productive, self sufficient members of society, as envisioned by the IDEA.
In Jarron vs. Atlanta Independent School District (N.D. GA 2007), the District Court held that: "Compensatory education involves discretionary, prospective, injunctive relief crafted by a court to remedy what might be termed an educational deficit created by an educational agency's failure over a given period of time to provide a FAPE to a student.
"Compensatory awards should compensate, and this means that they must do more than provide ‘some benefit’ as required by ordinary IEPs ... compensatory education is necessary to preserve a handicapped child's right to a free education."
To read further, go to http://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/08/al.0310.draper.htm
This is a new column for me aptly titled Around the 'Net. I will share some of my favorite websites . . .
some are fun, some are serious,
some are for you, some are for the whole family,
some are educational, some are games,
topics will everything.
FunSchool.com
This site is dangerously educational while being joyfully fun. Click on the various 'fun spots' to navigate the site and find the learning inside, well disguised as fun, of course. The games are exciting and changing constantly. Children, including those of us over 18, love the variety and colorfulness of the content. Here's everyone's chance to become a kid for the day as we play our way from kindergarten through 6th grade. See you at graduation.
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