NOTE:
Due to a technicality, the e-Brief has not reached our audience this past month. To that end, this issue of YES DEC CAN! is larger than usual. The technical issue has been addressed and bi-weekly e-Briefs will resume at their usual frequency. The next issue of YES DEC CAN! will come out the week of July 11th.
★ The Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 seeks to provide appropriate services for people with mental health needs. The legislation includes supports for children of all ages, including infants and toddlers. To learn more about the provisions for infants/toddlers, read the article by Zero to Three.
★ In some states, education professionals are working to create flexible accountability systems to replace the current standards-based testing model. You can read about a pilot program in New Hampshire on the Ed.gov blog.
★ On May 13th, the Obama administration instructed public schools to allow students to use the bathrooms that conform to their gender identity. School districts that don't comply by the rules will be in violation of Title IX anti-discrimination laws and may lose federal funding. The US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice issued a joint statement on the law. You can read that statement here.
★ Other updates, courtesy of the Council for Exceptional Children:
We are seeking new members who are interested in supporting our work. New members to the Council will be considered "at-large" and will shadow existing members to ensure a smooth transition. If you want to stay up-to-date about what is happening in the field and within DEC and would like to lend your voice, please complete our
new member application survey so we can match you to opportunities that fit best with your interest, experience, and availability.
Registration instructions will be provided via email after sign-up.
Be sure to complete the Subdivision needs assessment provided during the April webinar. If you were not in attendance or need a copy, contact
[email protected].
TELL US
WHAT
YOU
THINK
★ Do you plan to participate in the advocacy webinar on July 18th?
If you could submit a policy or advocacy story in bullet format instead of in full, and the Policy & Advocacy Council put it in written format and gave you credit, would you be more likely to share a story for a future eBrief?
Would you be interested in future webinars that highlight articles from JEI to specific advocacy and policy issues or actions (e.g., bridging the research to practice to policy gap)?
Have an early childhood special education policy or advocacy story you would like to share?Whether you are a Subdivision leader/member or just an interested DEC member unaffiliated with a Subdivision, contact [email protected] or DEC CAN Coordinator [email protected] to share what's happening in your state or Subdivision or just to bring awareness to an important policy or advocacy issue relevant to DEC. Your story will be shared in a future issue of YES DEC CAN!