Not Your Average Wallpaper

Contributed by Nancy Bowden, Director of Advocacy

Every time your child has an IEP/Individual Education Program meeting and/or a Re-Evaluation meeting, you are asked, "Would you like a copy of your Parental Rights", or sometimes they call it your "Rights", or your "Procedural Safeguards". There are several names for just one book. The official title is: Parent and Child Rights in Special Education Procedural Safeguards Notice.  (There is a running joke of and by parents with children in Special Education having enough copies of their Parental Rights to wallpaper their whole bathroom!)

We Need YOU to Get Involved in Colorado's Every Student Success Plan!

Contributed by Hanni Raley, Director of Systems Advocacy

Last year, President Barack Obama signed a bipartisan bill called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), overhauling the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law, which expired in 2007. The bill intends to usher in a new approach for K-12 education, in regards to accountability, teacher evaluations and the way the most poorly performing schools are pushed to improve.

The Current State of State Complaints in Colorado  

Contributed by Jeff Fernengel, Advocate

As a parent of a child with special needs, do you like you have a legitimate complaint to make against your child's school or school district? There are two common ways to make sure that the right people hear your complaint. The two most common methods are by making a state complaint or a due process complaint. This website can clarify when it is best to use a state complaint, as opposed to the dreaded due process complaint.

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Procedures When Disciplining Children with Disabilities

Contributed by Laura Miller, Advocate

For families who have a child that receives Special Education, the Colorado Department of Education has created a Procedural Safeguards Notice called Parents and Child Rights in Special Education. The blue booklet you receive at each IEP meeting is exactly this. One of the sections within the booklet is dedicated to the procedures that take place when disciplining children with disabilities.