Letter to FL Senators

[Guest guest]

I wrote the FL senators another e-mail, in honor of Benny's third

birthday today:

Dear Senator Graham,

My grandson is three years old today, it's his birthday. He

is speech delayed, had torticollis and plagiocephaly, and is very

bright. He is frustrated because of his delays and has received much

help from the Early Intervention program--speech and occupational

therapy, for instance. Today he comes under the care of the public

educational system.

It is very ironic that today, a bill that would terribly weaken my

grandson's educational rights is before the Senate--S. 1248. If it

passes, he will no longer have the protection he needs to get a free

and appropriate public education, with specific goals and objectives

written into an individualized educational plan. Benny is not like

" all the other kids. " He is capable of becoming a productive citizen,

but only if he is given appropriate and carefully monitored assistance.

My family desperately needs help that only you and the other Senators on

Capitol Hill can provide. We need you to stop this extremely dangerous

and

reckless IDEA reauthorization train from derailing and potentially

harming 6.5

million students who receive special education services in America. If

families like

mine do not get the help that we need, we will suffer physically,

emotionally, and financially.

There are no valid reasons for having to bring Part B of S.1248 to the

Senate

floor this year. Part B of the IDEA is permanently authorized, and the

present IDEA legislation (IDEA ‘97) is actually much more aligned with

No Child Left

Behind than either H.R.1350 or S.1248. This is especially true now that

the

No Child Left Behind rulemaking process for individuals with

disabilities has

begun taking form.

The proposed House and Senate bills (H.R.1350 and S.1248) are neither

grounded in present No Child Left Behind realities, nor are they based

on reliable

data to validate any of the major changes proposed therein, changes

which will

only serve to hurt children and the people who love and care for them.

Both

bills are already obsolete, given that they were first drafted prior to

many of

the No Child Left Behind rules being released and prior to states and

local

districts having an opportunity to figure out what they would

eventually look

like.

Families across this country now understand what No Child Left Behind

looks

like for students with disabilities. We are terrified, and these bills

will do

absolutely nothing to help our kids escape the numerous unintended

consequences that will compromise their access to learning and

productive futures.

H.R.1350 and S.1248 are certain to push students backwards rather than

forwards. Both bills will compromise access to the general curriculum

and banish any

hope of having many of our students with disabilities make AYP and

become

proficient by 2014. It is not the fault of our children and families

that No

Child Left Behind did not carefully consider them in the first place.

Now the same

people who brought us this controversial legislation are looking at

dismantling our only safety net.

Until No Child Left Behind has been completely rolled out, is

understood by

all the relevant stakeholders, and has thoroughly addressed the

unintended

consequences that our students face as a result of its enactment, I am

begging you

to ask Senator Frist to please remove S.1248 from this year’s calendar

and

allow our families to reclaim time with our students so that we can

work with

them to assure that they truly are not left behind.

Please feel free to contact me at any time should you want to discuss

this

further. I may be reached at: Phone [i gave them my number, but I doubt

if they will use it] Email

Kathleen_E@.... Let me know how I can best help you with your

consideration of this

life-altering legislation.

Thank you for your serious consideration of this most important matter.

The

lives of members of my household depend on it.

Sincerely,

(Rev.) Kathleen R. Eickwort, PhD