NYC/State Moms - Call to Action
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| Fri, 03-07-2008 - 6:56pm |
Some of you already know of this action on part of NY State Board of Regents, which directly affects us and Malcolm as of next week. He has been working with terrific speech, OT and behavioral counselors through our district as we home school (thanks to horrific state of public school programming...) and as of next week, the district will no longer BE ALLOWED (by the State) to pay their therapists, so we will have them no more. That's it, finito, we are being left high and dry with no recourse except if we had the resources to pay them ourselves privately and/or sue State of New York.... This is a huge blow to us and to Malcolm's development.
I am posting link to website of LEAH, which is a Christian home schooling website, and they have organized a write-in campaign page and there are great resources there. I am asking all New York moms here to write in to your representatives to protest this action, after all, you never know when you might be forced, by whatever set of circumstances, to home school your special needs child, in which case you will be denied services by the State. We certainly never imagined we would be forced to home school, although now I would say to those who think they could NEVER do it ... it is a great alternative to bad placement and our child is thriving.
Thanks for doing this. There certainly will be challenges to this decision by the Home School Defense League Association and other entities, but every little bit of dissent will help.
yours,
Sara
Call To Action – NYSED Discontinues Special Services For Homeschoolers
Please Read – Important Changes Have Taken Place that Require Your Prompt Action
As of January, 2008, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) eliminated special services for all homeschooled children with special needs. This abrupt change in policy was made without warning or public comment. It reversed a policy of 17+ years of New York providing special services to homeschoolers on nearly the same basis as public school students who receive them. These services include things like physical therapy, speech therapy, and many other services that enable learning and acquisition of skills needed for eventually achieving maximum independence and self-sufficiency as adults. Hundreds of homeschooled students with special needs are affected by this change. It will have devastating long-term consequences for both these children and their parents.
This policy change has its roots in a recent lawsuit in which some legal technicalities in Federal law on this subject, previously unknown to NYSED, were revealed. Stated briefly, Federal law only requires the State to provide services to non-public school students if they are classified as private school students. New York law does not classify home schools students as private schools; homeschooled students are allowed under State law which describes them as attending elsewhere. NYSED seized upon the outcome of this lawsuit and now mistakenly understands Federal law as meaning that New York is not authorized to provide services to homeschoolers. (Not authorized would be another way of saying that New York is prohibited by Federal law from providing such services.) However, the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), which has been aware of this specific legal issue for a number of years, believes that the correct interpretation is that Federal law simply does not require the State to provide these services. States can still provide them if they so choose. (It may well be that the State is not authorized to spend federal funds on providing these services to homeschoolers, but federal funds make up well less than 10% of the money that the State spends on special services.)
During a recent three-day strategy session to address this issue, the NYS LEAH Board and HSLDA thoroughly discussed the intricacies of the situation. In response, we have formulated a plan of action to make sure that this action does not go unchallenged and to persuade NYSED to reverse their unwise policy change. ALL homeschool families are being asked to participate in this very important plan, regardless of whether you have special needs children or not.
Please take the time to read Why Special Services For Homeschoolers? which discuses why it is so very important that this policy change be reversed. It discusses why it is reasonable for homeschoolers to receive government services in this area, and why this action represents a very real threat to all homeschoolers in New York.

-Paula
www.onesickmother.com
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Thanks, Paula, you babe!
This is the time to do this, because the NY State Board of Regents is meeting March 17 and 18, and this vorte is an item on the agenda. Please take a few minutes and write, this State should not penalize their home school special needs students!
New York State Regents and Area Represented
>
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Bennett, Robert M.; Chancellor; -- Allegany,
> Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie ,
> Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming
> 201 Millwood Lane , Tonawanda , NY 14150, Phone:
> (716) 645-6640
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Tisch, Merryl H.; Vice Chancellor; At Large
> 9 East 79th Street , N.Y. , N.Y. 10021, Phone: (212)
> 879-9414,
> _mhtisch@aol.com_ (mailto:mhtisch@aol.com)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Cohen, Saul B.; At Large
> 82 Taymil Road , New Rochelle , NY 10804, Phone:
> (914) 633-7889,
> _Sbcohen1@optonline.net_
> (mailto:Sbcohen1@optonline.net)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Dawson, James C.; -- Clinton, Essex, Franklin ,
> Fulton , Hamilton ,
> Montgomery , St. Lawrence, Saratoga , Schenectady ,
> Warren and Washington
> 2 Birchwood Drive, Peru , NY 12972, Phone: (518)
> 643-9289,
> _James.dawson@plattsburgh.edu_
> (mailto:James.dawson@plattsburgh.edu)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Bottar, Anthony S.; -- Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis,
> Oneida , Onondaga, and
> Oswego
> 120 Madison Street, Suite 1600 , MONY Tower II,
> Syracuse , NY 13202, Phone:
> (315) 422-3466, _abottar@bottarlpone.com_
> (mailto:abottar@bottarlpone.com)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Chapey, Geraldine; -- Queens
> 107-10 Shore Front Parkway, Apt. 9C , Belle Harbor ,
> NY 11694, Phone: (718)
> 634-8471
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Gardner, Arnold B.; At Large
> 726 Exchange Street, Suite 800 , Buffalo , N.Y.
> 14210, Phone: (716) 845-6000,
> _agardner@kavinokycook.com_
> (mailto:agardner@kavinokycook.com)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> 2010* Phillips 3rd, Harry; -- Dutchess, Orange ,
> Putnam, Rockland and
> Westchester
> 71 Hawthorne Way , Hartsdale , NY 10530, Phone:
> (914) 948-2228,
> _hphillips@wingedkeel.com_
> (mailto:hphillips@wingedkeel.com)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Bowman, Jr., Joseph E.; -- Albany , Columbia ,
> Greene, Rensselaer,
> Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster
> ED 124, School of Education , University at Albany ,
> 1400 Washington Avenue
> , Albany , NY 12222
> Phone: (518) 442-4987
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Tallon, James R. Jr.; - Broome, Chemung, Chenango,
> Cortland , Delaware ,
> Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins
> United Hospital Fund, Empire State Building , 350
> Fifth Avenue , 23rd Floor,
> New York , N.Y. 10118-0110 , Phone (212) 494-0777,
> _jtallon@uhfnyc.org_
> (mailto:jtallon@uhfnyc.org)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Cofield, Milton L.; - Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe ,
> Ontario , Seneca,
> Steuben, Wayne, Yates
> 98 Hickory Ridge Road , Rochester , N.Y. 14625,
> Phone (585) 248-8494
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Tilles, Roger B.; - Nassau , Suffolk
> 100 Crossways Park West, Suite 107 , Woodbury , N.Y.
> 11797, Phone (516)
> 364-2533, _Regenttilles@mail.nysed.gov_
> (mailto:Regenttilles@mail.nysed.gov)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Brooks Hopkins, Karen; - Kings, Richmond
> 30 Lafayette Avenue , Brooklyn , N.Y. 11217, Phone
> (718) 636-4135,
> _Kbrooks@bam.org_ (mailto:Kbrooks@bam.org)
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Gomez-Velez, Natalie M.; - Bronx
> CUNY School of Law, Room 258A, 6521 Main Street ,
> Flushing , N.Y. 11367,
> Phone (718) 340-4523
> _Gomez-velez@mail.lore.cuny.edu_
> (mailto:Gomez-velez@mail.lore.cuny.edu)
> supposed to cc to _konkowski@mail.lore.cuny.edu_
> (mailto:konkowski@mail.lore.cuny.edu) to make sure
> it gets through
>
> ____________________________________
>
> Bendit, Charles R.; - New York
> 111 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1500 , New York , N.Y.
> 10011, Phone (212) 220-9945,
> _cbendit@tacon.com_ (mailto:cbendit@tacon.com)
Thanks so much, guys,
Sara, Cliff and Malcolm (age 10, PDD-NOS)
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>
Thanks so much! You go, girl! Every letter written will help get our point across.
yours,
Sara