Once signed into law by Governor Malloy, education bill #5353, “An Act Concerning Individualized Education Programs and Other Issues Related to Special Education,” will provide parents with additional information to help them participate more effectively as members of the PPT team.

The bill requires a school district responsible for providing special education to offer to meet with the student’s parents, upon the parents’ request, after the student has been assessed for possible placement in special education and before the PPT meets.

The bill also specifies that the parents must be given the opportunity to meet with a PPT member designated by the school board before the referral PPT meeting at which the student’s assessments and evaluations will be discussed for the first time. This applies to students under evaluation for possible placement in special education.

Third, the bill also requires school boards, upon the request of parents, to provide them with copies of the assessment and evaluation results used to determine special education eligibility at least three school days before the referral PPT meeting at which the assessments will be first discussed.

Under the bill, school districts are required to provide parents with any State Department of Education (SDE) information and resources relating to IEPs as soon as a child is identified as requiring special education. IEPs are the individual plans that PPTs craft and agree to in order to address the student’s special education needs.

Read the full bill on the CT General Assembly website

Today, the U.S. Department of Education issued a publication that outlines principles for educators, parents and other stakeholders to consider when developing or refining policies and procedures to support positive behavioral interventions and avoid the use of restraint and seclusion. The goal of this resource document is to help ensure that schools are safe and healthy environments where all students can learn, develop and participate in instructional programs that promote high levels of academic achievement. The 15 principles that frame the document highlight how schoolwide behavioral interventions can significantly reduce or eliminate the use of restraint or seclusion. Read the Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document here>>

The new education reform bill will bring many more changes than the highly publicized revisions to teacher tenure. The bill will mean be up to 1,000 new preschool slots, 20 more school-based health clinics, 20 minutes of mandated school recess, a new focus on getting students to learn to read by the time they leave third grade, and funding to open 10 new family resource centers designed to provide parent education and training. Read more about the bill, “More preschool slots, reading focus on tap for schools through education reform” by Linda Conner Lambeck>>

CT’s Birth to Three system is taking proactive steps to ensure that all infants and toddlers who are eligible for early intervention services are identified at the earliest possible age. Check out their announcement of this new Child Find initiative and help them spread the word!

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is Wednesday, May 9th. The day is a key strategy of the Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign, which is part of the Public Awareness and Support Strategic Initiative by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and seeks to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development from birth. Find out more about National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day>>

The Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) has published a bilingual (English/Spanish) guide entitled, “Achieve College ~ ¡Hacia Adelante! ~ A Guide for College Access.” The guide promotes a collaborative approach to goal-setting and decision-making among student, family, and school. It includes four steps: getting ready in high school, making a good choice of a college, applying early to several colleges, and planning to get financial help. It also includes a resource CD with a workbook for planning for college and checklists for ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.

The guide can be purchased through IDRA: IDRA website

Fairfield University will be offering summer reading skills and speed reading programs for children and adults this summer in Middletown, New Haven, West Hartford. Eight programs will be provided at each location for children entering preschool through teens and adults in high school through college. For more information, contact Fairfield University at 1-800-978-9596.

Families involved with Birth to Three for at least six months (as of February 2012) are encouraged to fill out the Birth to Three Family Survey given to them by their Service Coordinator. Please contact CPAC if you need help completing the survey. View the video for more information.

Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey Executive Co-Director, Diana Autin, speaks about bringing every voice to the table in this interview by CADRE. View the video interview>>

Shire US Inc. (maker of Adderall XR, Vyvanse and Intuniv) and the Edge Foundation (which promotes academic coaching at the college level) will provide money and assistance to students with ADHD who are planning on higher education after high school.

This scholarship is intended for US citizens accepted at or attending an approved college, university, vocational school, or technical school as an undergraduate student that has been diagnosed with ADHD and is under the care of a licensed health care professional for ADHD.

There are now 50 scholarships available, each for $2,000 for the academic year tuition, and each includes a full year of student coaching (valued at a lot more than the $2000).

The application deadline is March 30, 2012. For more information, visit www.shireadhdscholarship.com.