The state of special education in Texas

[Guest guest]

Very well said .

I would like to propose --- as a wise listmember who doesn't wish to credit

for this brilliant idea and need - that we find a way to peacefully and

respectfully " rally " at TEA.

Have a T-Shirt slogan contest - see if someone could arrange to make and sell

them, and we all wear them at a rally at the Texas Education Agency.

Or -- since so many parents attend the State Autism Conference - wear those

T-Shirts at the conference.

T-Shirts something like, " The TEA left my child behind " or " Please do, reform

Due Process "

Something that makes our point.

In June they are having a big " Green our Vaccines " rally...

I think we all need to find a time and place to do the same for Special

Education in Texas.

If someone could organize the making and selling of the T-Shirts, and any

logistics, that would be wonderful.

Many parents will attend the State Autism Conference in December... we could

do it there.

Anyway - it was very effective for Joe Barton - and I think it's time for a

concentrated gathering for the issues faced on special education, due process,

and funding for schools.

Sincerely

M. Guppy

Singleton wrote:

You may be interested to know that when, at the 2007 TEA Autism Conference,

I asked Kathy Clayton specifically about using a State Improvement Grant to

raise the level of training and services for autism in Texas, she responded

that autism wasn’t the biggest problem that special education was facing.

Disproportionality is. Disproportionality is when kids are placed in

special ed –not because they have a disability—but because they’ve had such

bad teaching in the regular ed environment that they look and test like they

have special needs. So even if Texas is going to get a big state

improvement grant, the chances of them using it for autism, like Missouri

did, are pretty slim.

I would suggest that we will get never get very far until both Kathy Clayton

AND Gene Lenz are no longer affiliated with TEA in any way. Maybe we can

hope they both get a really good job in Alabama or Mississippi . As long as

they are both around, TEA will continue to dig their heels in against

bringing more scientifically proven approaches like various methods like ABA

into our schools in a systematic and sustainable way.

S.

" Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist.

They are wrong: it is character. "

Albert Einstein

From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

[mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of mom2boysplano

Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 1:04 PM

To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

Subject: [sPAM] Re: Scholarships and the Status Quo

I think before we support and push for

a funding increase, we need to look at where the money is going

already, why Sp Ed grants aren't being applied for in Texas that all

other states are receiving,

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