[Nfb-new-hampshire] Fwd: Last Chance to Protect NH's Special Ed Rights. Your Children NEED you to speak up.

[Penny Duffy]

Please read and act on this email today.  I humbly are asking for your help
to stop NH HB 620

It would be devastating for Special Education in State of NH.

On Tue, Jun 20, 2017 at 11:50 PM, Bonnie Dunham <bsdunham12 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> *Last Chance to Protect NH’s Special Education Rights*
>
> *We thought that NH’s special education rules were safe.  Last minute
> revisions have changed that.  The special education rules that protect our
> children’s education rights are now at risk – Serious risk – Very serious
> risk!  *
>
> *Have you ever heard the saying, “you snooze, you lose”?  In this case, if
> you “snooze”, your children, our children, will lose.*
>
> *Thursday, June 22, 2017, the full House & Senate will vote on new
> proposed language for HB 620, an Act relative to compliance with state and
> federal education mandates.*
>
> *IMPORTANT! State Representatives and Senators have not heard from many
> parents; they are not hearing our concerns.  Unless you contact them, NH
> could lose many of the special education rules that provide critical rights
> and protections to our children.*
>
> *The NH House and Senate both passed versions of HB 620 that emphasized
> fiscal responsibility while protecting important special education rights.
> The House’s bill, which was amended after House members heard from many,
> many, many parents and others, passed by an overwhelming 355-18 margin!
> Parents of children were reassured that their children’s special education
> rights were no longer in jeopardy!  *
>
> *Then, a Committee of Conference was formed to try to draft language that
> would be acceptable to both the House and Senate (usually this means a
> compromise is reached).  Instead, they almost totally rewrote the bill so
> that it is close to the original bill, the one that so many parents and
> others had so vigorously opposed.  HB 620 now poses a serious threat to
> NH’s special education regulations.*
>
> *The main body of HB 620 would now read:*
>
> *I. *The state board may also make the regulations *or rules *necessary
> to enable the state to comply with the provisions of any law of the United
> States intended to promote vocational or other education, to abolish
> illiteracy and Americanize immigrants, to equalize educational
> opportunities, *to provide special education to children with
> disabilities, *to promote physical health and recreation, and to provide
> an adequate supply of trained teachers.  *Proposed regulations or rules
> designed to implement federal law may exceed the minimum requirements of
> federal law only if the proposed regulation or rule does not impose or
> necessitate unreimbursed expenditures or administrative burdens on the
> local school district.*
>
> *II. This section shall only apply to rules adopted on or after the
> effective date of this section.*
>
> *What does this mean?*  The Federal *Individuals with Disabilities
> Education Act (IDEA) *sets *MINIMUM* requirements for special education
> that each state must follow.  Each state then makes its own law and rules
> for how they will meet at least the minimum requirements in IDEA, while
> reflecting the values of that state.
>
> NH’s special education rules, the *NH Rules for the Education of Children
> with Disabilities* clarify IDEA in some areas and go beyond the minimum
> requirements in other areas.  It could be argued that nearly all of these
> requirements, including obtaining parental consent at every step in the
> process, maintaining documentation to show that the services in the IEP
> were provided, having clear timelines, and requiring planning for
> transition from high school to begin by age 14, may involve extra costs
> and/or administrative burden.  But – they also result in significant
> benefits:
>
>    -
>
>    NH’s students with disabilities have among the highest graduation
>    rates and lowest drop-out rates in the nation and they are employed and
>    enrolled in higher education at higher rates (they become taxpayers – a
>    tremendous cost savings for NH);
>    -
>
>    Because of NH’s rules that support parent involvement and parents &
>    schools working together to resolve disputes at the earliest stages, NH has
>    a very low number of costly due process hearings; and
>    -
>
>    The clearly delineated rules, timelines and expectations, sound
>    documentation, and ongoing monitoring and transparency in the NH Rules
>    provide accountability and bring a sound business model into the public
>    school system.  This ensures that NH taxpayers and school districts
>    know what is expected of them, and there is a *record to prove that
>    they are getting what they are paying for*.  *That is sound fiscal
>    policy worth protecting*.
>
>    *THIS IS A CRISIS!*  NH’s special education rules include essential
>    rights and protections that NH children with disabilities and their parents
>    have worked for and relied on for decades!  If the committee of
>    conference’s version of HB 620 passes, it will trigger massive changes in
>    education and special education policy, and will erode essential special
>    education rights and protections. Section II of the bill, which says, *"This
>    section shall only apply to rules adopted on or after the effective date of
>    this section"**.* does *nothing* to help the situation; it makes it
>    sound as if the current *NH Rules* are safe, but what it really means
>    is that they are safe for a little while.  Rules are effective for a
>    limited time then they need to be reauthorized.  The NH Rules will
>    also have to be revised when IDEA is reauthorized (which is overdue
>    already).  At that time HB 620 will apply, so the *NH Rules* would
>    then revert to the minimum allowed by Federal law.
>
> *The full House and Senate will vote on HB 620 on Thursday.  If parents
> (YOU) do not take action, HB 620 will become law!*
>
> *PLEASE contact your State Representatives and Senators TODAY.  This is
> your last chance – the vote is THURSDAY:*
>
> *Write a letter (email is ok) and call your State Senators and
> Representatives.  *(You don’t have to say a lot –just make a very brief
> statement like: *“please vote against the committee of conference
> recommendation for HB 620”; “NH’s special education rules are important and
> should not be reduced”; “I appreciate that NH is more clear than the
> Federal special education law and goes beyond the Federal minimum when it
> makes sense for NH”, or “Please do not stop the State Board from passing
> the kind of rules that have led to positive outcomes for our children”.*
> Tell them what these rights mean to you and your child.)  Find your
> Senators and Representatives and their contact information at:
> *http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx*
> <http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx>
>
> *You can also send copies of your letter or cc your email to the Speaker
> of the House (Shawn Jasper) at:  *shawn.jasper at leg.state.nh.us* & to the
> President of the Senate (Chuck Morse) at: *chuck.morse at leg.state.nh.us
>
> HB 620 is not good policy or practice.  Each time our special education
> rules have been reviewed and revised, NH has decided, through a
> collaborative and open process, that we should not just copy the Federal
> law; we should comply with it, while also maintaining many of the
> long-standing requirements that reflect NH’s values.  *That made sense
> then, and it makes sense now.*
>
>
>
> *See the attached fact sheet if you would like additional reasons to
> oppose HB 620.*
>
> *~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ *
>
> This alert was sent by Bonnie Dunham as a private citizen.  If you have
> questions, or wish to join the e-mail action alert list (or have your
> name removed from the list), please contact Bonnie at –
> bsdunham12 at gmail.com
>
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