Whether it was their regular email on the website or their Facebook account, all Delaware House Reps and Senators were emailed by me tonight. Most of them got the same one, but I have met a few of them already to discuss some issues. I appreciate those who emailed back so quickly. One of them told me this was not the first email they received today. Hopefully parents can be included in Senate Concurrent Resolution 63, which creates an IEP Task Force to basically look at why Delaware is doing so bad in Special Education two years in a row.
Here is the letter I sent to ALL of them:
I am a father of a special needs child. My son has Tourette’s Syndrome, ADHD, OCD, and Sensory Processing Disorder. I am a huge advocate not only for my own son, but all the children in Delaware with special needs. So much so that I started my own blog, Exceptional Delaware, after writing a story on Kilroy’s Delaware about what happened to my son at a Delaware charter school.
I read about SCR 63, the IEP Task Force. This is a wonderful thing, and it is very needed. However, I noticed there are no parents designated on the Task Force. I believe this is a very big mistake. Children with special needs are the primary stakeholders of whatever this task force comes up with, and the parents are the primary advocates for our children. Parents are always part of the IEP process, and this should not be an exemption to parents at all. Please speak about this tomorrow during the last day of legislative session and propose that parents be allowed a part of this. I would highly recommend at least 3 parents of special needs be allowed on the Task Force, one from each county of Delaware.
We are the ones who are highly invested in this process, and we probably have the most to say about it, and how Delaware has arrived at the position they are in with the Federal Government. IDEA and IEP are very tricky animals, and it needs to be looked at very carefully. One wrong mistake can have tragic consequences for these children.
Thank you for your time, and I appreciate all you do for our kids.
I hope Governor Markell realizes what a very big deal this is to so many in our state.
The Season Of Myths 
You might want to mention that most of the educational advocates in this state, have children in IEP’s…. These people are the drivers.
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First, I just came across your blog while googling updates on some current legislation I am following, and for the last hour I have been reading through your posts. As a fellow parent of 3 special needs children and advocate for exceptional children with the Delaware PTA, I am so glad our kids have great advocates, like you, fighting everyday. Second, the day after that task force was introduced, they added 3 additional parents representatives, 1 from each county. Although I think there should be atleast 2 from every county, I believe there is going to be a very strong group of advocates on this task force.
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I certainly hope so! There needs to be. It almost got passed without the amendment, but I had to fight like hell, with the support of House Reps Williams, Walker, and Senator Poore to get it added. It was a lot of work, and I understand what politicians must go through when they want something pushed through. Basically, I had to on Twitter and Facebook, and have parents do what a house rep called “Parent Bomb” their reps and senators. It was a crazy afternoon!
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Here’s a personal thank you from the Delaware PTA for all those “parent bombs.” I have my name is as the possible Delaware PTA Representative, however it is contingent on our President Elect getting one of the slots for the GACEC. As of right now I know two parents who have applied for New Castle County, and based on preliminary “intel”, there are going to be some very strong advocates on this task force. We haven’t heard anything yet, but I am going to inquire about it, when I go to the Indicator 17 Advisory Council meeting in Dover.
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