[Youth-list] Proposed Regulation Changes to CT Special Education Regulations

[Elizabeth Shack]

  Proposed Regulation Changes   To view this information on CPAC's site go to http://www.cpacinc.org/whatsnews.htm#Regulation       Dear Parents:       The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC) is asking you to voice your concern regarding proposed revisions to Connecticut special education regulations.    CPAC believes that the following revisions may have a negative impact on your child’s education.        Section 18 revisions propose to increase the initial evaluation timeline from 45 school days to 105 calendar days – this is more than a quarter of the year. The timeline for the initial referral to special education to the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) would be broken down as follows:     
    fifteen days from referral to Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meeting;   
   sixty days from parental consent to complete an initial evaluation;   
   thirty days from determination of eligibility to develop an IEP.  
      Section 13 revisions eliminate the current timeframe for parents to receive a full copy of the IEP within five days after the PPT meeting.   This means that the school district will not be obligated to give you a copy of the IEP in a timely fashion.  The IEP is the critical tool used by parents, and without the guarantee of receiving this document in a reasonable amount of time, parents would be unable to monitor their children’s progress and to insure the proper implementation of their children’s program.       You may access all of the proposed regulation revisions through the State Department of Education / Special Education Bureau web site in the May 2007 Bureau Blog, attachment two at www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/may_blog.pdf.      Below CPAC has provided a sample letter expressing our position on the two proposed revisions.  Please feel free to revise or to add information to the letter as you wish.  Your voice as a parent of a child with a
 disability is important and should be heard by the State Department of Education.       Please go to  http://www.cpacinc.org/pdfs/Sample%20Letter.pdf to view a copy of the sample letter.       Please send your letter to by Monday, October 22nd to:   Theresa C. DeFrancis, Esq.
State Department of Education
PO Box 2219
Hartford, CT  06415   If you have questions or need clarification on any of the regulations or revisions, please contact CPAC at 1-800-445-2722




















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