Is This The Real Reason For Regulation 225?

A big head’s up to Alby over at Delaware Liberal for tipping me off to a New York Times article from January 10th!  While Delawareans up and down the state have been scratching their heads over Regulation 225, an anti-discrimination measure for trans-gender students, the true motive behind the controversial regulation may have been in front of our eyes the entire time!

You Can’t Make Things Better Until You Fix What’s Broken

In the past week, a light bulb went off in my head.  I’ve been to a lot of education meetings lately.  State Board of Education, ESSA, Special Education Strategic Plan, district board meetings, and so forth.  I’ve seen and met a lot of legislators and candidates.  I’ve seen the old faces and the new.  For the most part, we are all talking about the same thing: problems in education.  Whether it is at a state level or on the ground floor.  At an ESSA meeting, one of the participants at my table was Red Clay Superintendent Dr. Merv Daugherty.

He made a very valid point.  We keep talking about education and how to make it better.  We keep throwing ideas into the mix.  We have meetings and task forces and committees and town halls and strategic plans.  We talk ourselves to death.  We don’t take action and we have gotten away from the basics.  I agree with him.

There have been opportunities to act, but they pass by.  Until the next idea comes along.  I’ve met with parents, teachers, district administrators, board members, the DOE, advocates, disability groups, legislators and regular citizens.  There are deep rifts between everyone.  Hurts.  Things happen.  Perceptions are thrown out of whack.  I have seen two of those groups talk about the exact same topic in separate meetings but the tone and feelings about it are wider than the Pacific Ocean.

As much as I rant about the DOE, I do like that they are having these town halls.  I like that people are coming out to them.  But it’s not enough.  Not nearly enough.  What is confusing me is why different states are taking advantage of different timelines for their draft plans.  For example, Delaware wants to get their plan in by the end of March.  In Florida, they are not submitting their plan until the end of July.  The Delaware DOE wants to have their plan in place by the 2017-2018 school year.  Florida’s wouldn’t fully kick in until 2018-2019.  The Delaware DOE wants to have their first draft done by the end of October.  In 37 days.  While it is a draft and would most likely be amended based on public feedback, I don’t like that short of a time frame.

Is that enough time to heal the rifts between the adults involved in education?  Is that enough time for us to decide, as a state, what is best for students?  No.  I don’t like the idea that we are rushing to get a basic plan done, with public comment to possibly tweak that plan, and then again after the end of the year.  I would much rather see something more solid in the beginning and build from there.  I want a foundation that is grounded in fixing the already existing problems with a definitive action plan and a path forward to fix them.  While some may see ESSA as a grand opportunity to get things right, are we rushing to get certain plans that are representative of the more powerful at the expense of the majority?  I believe we are.  Delaware needs more time.  With the vast amounts of money we spend on education, I would think there could and should be a way to get more voices involved.

When many education bills are submitted in the General Assembly, they are symptomatic of larger things that are broken.  If we don’t fix those bigger things, the small solutions don’t always work.  So, I guess, I’m putting this out there for the Delaware DOE, Secretary Godowsky, and the Governor to think about.  What is the harm in waiting another four months to put forth our ESSA plan?  Yes, it’s another year students may not have something.  And many of those things they need now.  But if we squander a gift of time and having true collaboration, at a state-wide level, to get things right, then all the plans in the world won’t help.  It would also give the General Assembly more of a sense of what this will cost over the five and a half months they are in session.  By submitting the plans by the end of March, it will force the General Assembly to most likely scramble to introduce legislation to make it all fit.  Why not let the General Assembly have until the end of June to do their thing while the rest of us, and I mean ALL of us, do our thing?  I have no doubt the DOE has a very good idea of what they would like to see.  But I don’t think the rest of Delaware feels they have been given enough to do this.  We need more time.

This isn’t a rant against the DOE.  It is a heartfelt plea to all involved in education to use the time we could have.  We need to come together, for the kids.

Looking For Delaware Advocates For IEP Meetings

For the past year, I’ve had a link on here up at the top that says Delaware advocates.  I have been negligent about keeping this updated.  If you are a Delaware advocate, and are offering your services to assist parents in IEP meetings, please let me know if you would like your name on this list.  I will post your email address and if you have a website please provide that as well.  If you are an organization that provides these services, please let me know.  If you have any questions, please comment on the article and feel to reach out to me at kevino3670@yahoo.com if you want to be added.

If you are already on this list and do not wish to have your name on here, please let me know.  Thank you!

Feds Increase Benefits For Autism, Major Win For Advocates

On July 7th, Federal officials ruled that all states must increase Medicaid coverage for autistic children.  This will now include Applied Behavior Analysis, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical equipment, and personal care services.  Previously, many states Medicaid denied these types of services, and the lawsuits grew.

According to the feds, every state must include these services in what is known as the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program (EPSDTP).  Every state must provide these services from birth to 21.  For parents of autistic children and their advocates, this is a huge victory.  This puts national standards ahead of what the states cherry pick in terms of services.

The new guidelines are posted on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (or Medicaid & CHIP services): http://www.medicaid.gov/Federal-Policy-Guidance/Downloads/CIB-07-07-14.pdf

The link goes on with an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that 1 in 68 children have autism, so the new guidelines come at a critical time for American families.