Fifty years ago, on November 29, 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law. This law ensures the rights of individuals with special needs and disabilities to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE), including our loved ones with Prader-Willi syndrome. Without this law, many, perhaps most, of our loved ones would not have access to the necessary supports and services for a free and appropriate public education, limiting not only their access to education, but to important and valuable opportunities in life.
This past week, IDEA has been challenged by the extreme cuts to the Department of Education. These cuts have forced debilitating layoffs to critical offices including the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR, and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESO). Our loved one’s educational opportunities are at risk, thus reducing their potential for success in life during the school years and beyond. We, as parents and caregivers, are calling on our community to speak up for the rights of our loved ones in the disability community and for the reinstatement of the staff positions for the continuation of these critical offices.
More information:
As stated by COPAA (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates):
“These wholesale terminations place fundamental education laws in peril and place millions of children with disabilities at risk who receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. These layoffs circumvent the will of Congress and dismantle 50 years of precedent upholding rights for students with disabilities. Without personnel to oversee these laws, the Department cannot provide essential leadership, oversight, guidance, or support to states and schools—jeopardizing students’ access to a free, appropriate public education and hampering the ability of states and localities to serve all students. In addition, the terminations also threaten the vocational rehabilitation system that helps youth and adults with disabilities become employed.”
Learn more about this issue and COPAA at Broad Coalition of Disability, Civil Rights, and Education Orgs Call for Reversal of Layoffs at ED – Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.
Call to Action:
Dr. Destiny Pacha, a beloved educational leader and advocate in the PWS community has created a letter for parents and caregivers to send to their representatives. This letter states the criticalness of these newly gutted offices for the upholding of IDEA and urges representatives to, “take immediate action to protect our children with disabilities and pressure the Department of Education to reinstate the eliminated staff positions. Upholding IDEA is not just a legal obligation; it is a moral one. Our children deserve stability, oversight, and a system that values their right to learn, grow, and thrive.”
Use the buttons below to download a copy of the letter. One is a fillable PDF you can send electronically or use the printable version to hand deliver to your representative or send through the mail. You may also choose to call your representative’s office and read the letter. Whichever method you choose, your voice is needed!
Find your state’s representatives at p2a.co/O6Zyn8Q
It Takes a Village:
This is a critical step in ensuring our loved ones and others in the disability community retain their rights to live full, valued lives in safety, with the wealth of opportunities they deserve. We strongly encourage families to speak up for the continuation of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR, and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESO) and the integrity of the IDEA.
Whatever the path forward, please remember that PWSA | USA is here to support families in the PWS community. We stand with you.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.