On Thursday, May 9th, Congressman George Miller (D-CA), ranking member of the House Education & Workforce Committee and Congressman Gregg Harper (R-MS) introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, HR 1893, a bill to protect all students nationwide from restraint and seclusion.

Below is a summary of important points about the Keeping Students Safe Act, HR 1893.

• The KSSA will ban restraint/seclusion except in emergencies where someone is in danger of physical harm.
• The KSSA will require that parents be informed if their child was restrained/secluded on the same day that the event occurred. Parents should be notified very quickly so they can seek medical care for concussions, hidden internal injuries, and trauma, and to work with the schools to create positive environments for their children.
• The KSSA will ban restraints that impede breathing, mechanical restraints, and chemical restraints. These include chairs and other devices that children are locked into; duct tape and bungee cords, ties, rope, and other things used to restrain children; and other devices.
• The KSSA will prevent restraint/seclusion from being used when less restrictive alternatives, like positive supports and de-escalation, would eliminate any danger. It would require them to end when the emergency ends.
• The KSSA will require that if children are placed in seclusion rooms, school staff must continuously visually observe them.
• Instead of restraint and seclusion, the KSSA seeks to promote positive behavioral supports for all children. The bill will shift schools toward preventing problematic behavior through the use of de-escalation techniques, conflict management and evidence-based positive behavioral interventions and supports. This shift of focus will help school personnel understand the needs of their students and safely address the source of challenging behaviors – a better result for everyone in the classroom.
• The KSSA will also ban dangerous aversive practices that threaten safety; require the collection of data; and require appropriate training of staff.

View the bill here: Keeping Student Safe Act

To contact your members of Congress regarding the bill, dial 202-224-3121; ask for your Representative’s Office, and then ask for the education aide. If you are unable to call and need to use email, visit http://bit.ly/RepWrit. (You can also find your Representative’s name here.)

To examine the impact of existing federal regulations and legislation on the successful transition from school to work of youth with disabilities, a free, public online dialogue will be held May 13-27, 2013. The U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration will host the event and invite policymakers, service providers, advocates, youth with disabilities and others to join this online dialogue to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities.

Overview
To examine the impact of existing federal regulations and legislation on the successful transition from school to work of youth with disabilities, a free, public online dialogue will be held May 13-27, 2013. The U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration will host the event and invite policymakers, service providers, advocates, youth with disabilities and others to join this online dialogue to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities.

Why is this happening?
The four host agencies want to ensure that all youth benefit from collective federal resources to achieve economic empowerment and maximize independence. Your input in this conversation is extremely important because studies and reports have shown that, compared to their peers without disabilities, students with disabilities are less likely to receive a regular high school diploma; twice as likely to drop out of school; and half as likely to enroll in and complete postsecondary education programs. Up to two years after leaving high school, about 4 in 10 youth with disabilities are employed, compared to 6 in 10 same-age, out-of-school youth in the general population (National Center for Education Statistics, 2000; National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 [NLTS-2], 2005).

Why participate?
Your input can help these agencies identify federal legislative and regulatory barriers and opportunities to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities. It will also facilitate their working together strategically on an interagency basis to foster the alignment of policies, programs and practices that support the successful transition from school to work of youth with disabilities. Once the dialogue has closed, a summary report will be made public.

Who Should Participate?

Anyone with a personal or professional stake in supporting the aspirations of youth and young adults with disabilities to live, work and thrive in their communities is invited to register and participate.

How to Participate

Online registration will begin May 7, 2013. You will be able to provide input from May 13 until May 27, 2013. (Instructions for registering are available at http://fptepolicyworks.ideascale.com. Once registered, participants may submit ideas, submit comments about ideas, and rate those ideas they think are the most important. The dialogue will be facilitated to ensure participants experience a robust and productive exchange.

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DDS), in collaboration with the Governor’s Early Childhood Planning Office, the Early Childhood Education Cabinet and the state’s Child Day Care Council, will hold public forums/hearings to provide Connecticut’s parents, service providers and advocates an opportunity to comment on child care services in Connecticut including the proposed Office of Early Childhood and CT’s draft Child Care and Development Fund draft Plan.

The hearings will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Connecticut Charts-A-Course, Training and Conference Room, 2321 Whitney Avenue, Building 2, Suite 501, Hamden, CT 06518 and on Thursday, May 30, 2013 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Connecticut State Department of Education, 25 Industrial Park Road, Middletown, CT 06457. (Public Hearing will be held immediately following the Connecticut Early Childhood Education Cabinet meeting)

Families and providers will have the opportunity to comment on the future of child care services at the hearings. The state is preparing a comprehensive child care plan to access federal funds and guide programs and services over the next two years.

The draft CCDF plan will be available to review on or after April 24th by visiting the Department of Social Services website at www.ct.gov/dss or http://ct.gov/dss/cwp/view.asp?a=2340&q=490684. Written comments may be submitted by e-mail to julie.bisi@ct.gov through June 10, 2013, or in person at one of the public hearings.

The state uses federal child care funds to support the child care needs of limited-income families and professional needs of child care providers. The child care plan presents various strategies to work with state and local partners to increase professional development opportunities, early learning standards, wage enhancements and other services to support the child care field.

The public can also get further information by calling the Department of Social Services’ Child Care Team at 1-800-811-6141 (press option 6).

A Plan for an Early Childhood System for Connecticut: The Office of Early Childhood

Connecticut’s Child Care & Development Fund Quality Performance Report – Federal Fiscal Year 2012

Summary of Child Care and Development Fund Plan (CCDF)

May is Mental Health Month. Did you know that the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has an online community, called StrenthOfUs, which is designed to inspire young adults impacted by mental health issues to think positive, stay strong and achieve their goals through peer support and resource sharing? Visit the website to learn more and connect>>

The Connecticut State Department of Education has released its Annual Report on the Use of Physical Restraint and Seclusion in Connecticut for the 2011-2012 school year. Read the report here>>

The Autism Program at the Yale Child Study Center is beginning a new study about the social brain. The study is open to adults ages 18-25 with an autism spectrum disorder.

This study involves an EEG (electroencephalography) a noninvasive measure, that involves participants wearing an elastic cap that has damp sponges on it, on their heads. Through the sponges, researchers are able to measure the naturally occurring electrical impulses in the brain while the participant is watching videos and looking at photographs.

Participation in the study takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. Participants will earn $40.

For more information, please contact Erin MacDonnell at erin.macdonnell@yale.edu or 203-737-3439.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are conducting a survey regarding the needs of adoptive, foster, and kinship care families. The goal is to learn what contributes to positive outcomes for children, youth, and families.

Individuals who are adoptive, foster, or kinship care parents are eligible to participate. It is important to hear from as many families as possible, both those who are experiencing challenges as well as those who are not. The information you provide can help direct advocacy efforts.

The completion of the survey takes about 15-20 minutes, on average. Participation is completely voluntary, and the information you provide is strictly confidential and anonymous. The study has been approved by the UMass Amherst Institutional Review Board (#2011-1185).

If you are interested in taking the survey you can connect to it through this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FBHCRQX

On July 1, 2013, revisions to the Connecticut special education regulations that were approved on January 22nd will go into effect in Connecticut schools.
Read more about the revised regulations>>

Thank you to the McCray, Fahey, Olko, Chavvaro and Gallagher families for sharing your experiences and participating in our new video about students with disabilities and self-advocacy!

The Summer Youth Employment Learning Pre-Application is now available on the Capitol Workforce Partners website. Students between the ages of 14 and 21 who are interested in summer employment opportunities and live in North Central Connecticut are encouraged to complete the application to be considered for a position this summer. Qualified students will be invited to an interview with a service provider. The full program application will be completed at that time. Click here to view this summer’s providers and locations

For more information or to access the pre-application, visit the Capitol Workforce Partners website: www.capitalworkforce.org