IDEA ACTION ALERT
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IDEA ACTION ALERT
October 2003
Dear VOR Friends,
The following Action Alert on IDEA is from the Parent Information Center of
NJ Inc. VOR has not taken a position on the IDEA Reauthorization
Amendments, so the following is shared for your information. I wanted to
give VOR advocates, including those of you with school-aged children, the
opportunity to be informed and respond to this Action Alert according to
your own preferences. Please note that time is of the essence -- debate is
happening today, Monday, October 20, 2003.
Please note that later this week, I will also be sending out two additional
e-mails with special opportunities for VOR members, in addition to the
Weekly E-Mail Update. Although I do try to limit the e-mail you receive
from VOR to one per week, this week will be an exception. Thank you in
advance for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Tamie Hopp
Executive Director
Voice of the Retarded
ACTION ALERT
On Monday, October 20th, negotiations on two key issues which will ensure
parental rights in due process and access to representation are unfolding
in the Senate HELP Committee. The Committee is
considering language that will guarantee a parent's right to represent
their own child throughout due process, from the initial hearing thru all
appeals, a right which has been compromised by recent court decisions.
Also under consideration is a parent's right to be represented by an
attorney OR someone with special knowledge in the needs of children with
disabilities. These changes would ensure parent's choice and access. As
you know, availability and access to legal representation for parents
seeking due process is extremely limited throughout the nation. In a field
where lawyers who represent parents are few and far between, an amendment
to ensure expanded choice in representation is essential for parents.
These amendments would give real meaning to "procedural safeguards" and
provide "equal protection under the law" as required by the Fourteenth
Amendment. Equitable access to the Courts for parents who need their
intervention to secure FAPE for their disabled children is essential.
While due process is an option of last resort----it needs to be an option.
Please call the HELP committee today and ask them to support language that
allows parents to choose if necessary,
1) to represent their own child in due process or
2) someone with special knowledge in the needs of disabled children to
represent them IT IS CRITICAL that members of the HELP Committee hear from
their constituents today. Key members to contact are:
Senator Judd Gregg (NH) Committee Majority Leader 202-224-3324
Senator Bill Frist (TN) 202-224-3344
Senator Pat Roberts (KS) 202-224-4774
Senator Edward Kennedy (MA) Committee Minority Leader 202-224-4543
These and other committee members may also be contacted directly through
the HELP committee office at 202-224-0767.
Thank you for raising your voice on behalf of parents and their disabled
children!
Please share with parents in NH, TN, KS, and MA.
Maura Collinsgru
Parent Information Center of NJ Inc.
P.O. Box 805, Palmyra, NJ 08065
856-786-8003/888-PIC-IDEA
