TO: Governor Cuomo, The NY State Legislative Education Committee, Honorable Merryl Tisch Chancellor New York State Education Department, Members of the Board of Regents.

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Dear Elected Representative,

While I recognize the current financial situation facing us in New York, I am writing in SUPPORT of all New York State Special Education Laws and Mandates. Eliminating the protections that go above the Federal IDEA laws afforded to Special Education students would create a dire situation in New York for ALL students.

Eliminating restrictions on class sizes would lead to warehousing of students in self-contained classes and the dumping of students into General Education classes without access to Special Education teachers, caps on private school placements and bussing restrictions would prohibit students from receiving an appropriate education when comparable programs are not available in their home district or County, the school Psychologist is an essential member of the CSE and abolishing the testing that they administer would be an imprudent decision. The current laws pertaining to Due Process are necessary to protect students from negative actions taken by school districts.

With the newly released statistic of 1 out of 88 children diagnosed with Autism, there will be more students with Autism in our schools and doing away with NY State Special Education laws will also do away with laws specifically enacted to protect students with Autism.

There are many unfunded Mandates that have been identified in the State of New York and our most vulnerable population, Special Education students, should not be targeted by the very school districts entrusted to educate them.

Most importantly, New York State and our communities will SAVE MUCH MORE MONEY when our students graduate High School and go on to live and work independently!

Thank you.

Sincerely,

In response to the newly enacted Tax Cap, Local School Districts, County School Boards, The NY State School Board Association, Superintendent's Associations, BOCES and the Council of New York Special Education Administrators (the very people that sit in on your CSE meetings) are all banding together to do away with New York State Special Education laws as a way to save money for local School Districts.

These organizations are writing the Legislation to repeal the very laws that protect our students; much of this legislation is already open in NY State Legislature and these same organizations are financing to lobby for the Legislative changes.

With the newly released statistic of 1 out of 88 children diagnosed with Autism, there will be more students with Autism in our schools and doing away with NY State Special Education laws will also do away with laws specifically enacted to protect students with Autism.

We need the NY State Education Committee, chaired by Senator John J. Flanagan (R,C, IP) 2nd Senate District and the NY State Board of Regents, and our local County and State Representatives to hear from our collective voice that DEMANDS that NY State Special Education Laws be left intact.

Demand that the allocation of time and money on fighting laws that protect our students be spent on educating them!

NY State and our communities will SAVE MUCH MORE MONEY when our students graduate High School and go on to live and work independently!

KEY POINTS THAT LEGISLATION IS LOOKING TO REPEAL

Remove limits on Class Sizes to keep self-contained classes smaller

Remove the co-teach model as it uses TWO teachers and costs more

Put Due Process burden of proof back onto Parents

Cap District Contributions to out-of-district placements

Remove the School Psychologist and Parent Member from the CSE Committee

Eliminate the requirement that an individual evaluation include specific assessments, prescribed by State regulation

Repeal the law that obligates district to transport students attending nonpublic school up to 50 miles from home

Amend state law to provide for individualized approval of nonpublic schools determined appropriate by a state administrative officer

GOVERNOR'S MADATE RELIEF COMMENT PAGE AND FOR:
http://www.governor.ny.gov/webform/mandatereviewpubliccommentform

Governor Cuomo's Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs:
http://www.governor.ny.gov/Justice4SpecialNeeds/home

NEW YORK STAE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE:
http://www.nysenate.gov/committee/education

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Links to the leaders looking to repeal the laws that protect our students:

Council of New York Special Education Administrators
Mandate Relief 2011 Position Paper:
http://www.lhcss.org/positionpapers/Council_of_NY_Sp_Ed_Admin_Appendix_G.pdf

Senator John J. Flanagan's website listing all of the current open legislation for repeal of NY Special Ed laws: http://www.nysenate.gov

Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents – Leading the Call for Mandate Relief at the expense of Special Education: http://www.lhcss.org/positionpapers.htm

A particularly offensive position paper by the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents which outlines all of their misguided "ideas" about the restraints NY Special Ed laws put on them: http://www.lhcss.org/positionpapers/

The New York State School Boards Association: http://www.nyssba.org

The New York State School Boards Association (a State association of local school district school boards) proposes a game plan for dealing with the new fiscal realities facing school districts which includes the language for the Legislation they wrote to eliminate NY State Special Ed laws: http://www.nyssba.org/GRPlayBook.pdf

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Some School District calling for residents to appeal NY Special Education laws

Rye Neck School District
http://www.ryeneck.k12.ny.us/form/?89

Kingston City School District
http://www.kingstoncityschools.org/news.cfm?story=41709&school=0

Carmel School District on Mandates:
http://www.carmelschools.org