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Union advocates reasonable regs for IDEA Stresses inclusion of teachers in Committees on Special Education
April 14, 2005 Regina Rose, a member of Ichabod Crane TA, testifies at a recent State Education Department forum on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Ask special education teacher Regina Rose what is one of the best things that has happened to special ed at Ichabod Crane High School in Columbia County . She'll tell you it's the addition in 1997 of regular classroom teachers to the federally mandated committee that recommends services for students with disabilities. That's why Rose, a member of New York State United Teachers' Special Education Committee, can't understand why the latest version of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act lets parents and school districts agree to exclude teachers and related educational service providers from meetings of the Committee on Special Education. "Second only to the child's family, teachers know what their students need," Rose testified at a State Education Department forum in March on changes in the latest reauthorization of the IDEA, signed into law in December by President Bush. "How could anyone even consider holding a meeting without the child's teacher?" Seven years after working with its national affiliate — the American Federation of Teachers — to assure that general ed teachers were represented on the committee, NYSUT has been asking the same question in Albany and Washington. "The federal regulations should assure that states have the continued authority to require the full team when developing or revising a student's Individualized Education Program," NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira said in recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education. While Neira said there is much to like about the new IDEA — tighter student accountability standards; more flexibility in disciplining classified students; reducing paperwork; and increasing instructional time — the statewide union remains concerned about several provisions, including CSE membership. State role Like NYSUT, Neira said, State Ed is also looking to retain its authority to make sure the full committee takes part in any IEP review. The department has been seeking comment on the reauthorized IDEA as it works to bring New York 's special education laws and regulations into compliance with the new federal law. Neira said all states need to be able to maintain state policies that establish higher standards and more protective rights than those allowed under the IDEA 2004. In a letter to Rebecca Cort, SED's deputy commissioner for Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, Neira stressed the need for educational professionals to be part of the committee that develops and reviews educational programs for students with disabilities. "If general and special educators, school psychologists and other providers are not part of the CSE meeting, how will these important individuals and the parents gain a true appreciation of how the student's disability affects his or her participation in the general education curriculum and environment?" she asked. — John Strachan |
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