OCTOBER 11 & 12, 2003

WEBSITE UPDATES THIS WEEK

It's been a particularly active week on the website, despite the Senate
recess. We have updates to every page of the website this week!

We have some thought-provoking pieces on our Home Page
(www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/1/index.htm) this week. The theme that
emerges from these
pieces is that we need to raise our voices and exert our political power, and we
need to do it fast while there's still time!

In "Our Children and Political Will," we point out that the current Congress
and Administration seem to have the political will to protect people's rights
to be free of annoying telemarketers' phone calls, but not to protect the
rights of children with disabilities to an appropriate education. What's wrong
with this picture?? In "The Sum of Public Education's Parts," we urge readers
to hold the schools and the government accountable for fulfilling the promise
of public education, embodied in IDEA and NCLB, to our children. In
"Partnership Without Advocacy Equals Politics," we remind readers that the time
for true
partnership with the schools has not yet arrived, and that we parents are
truly our children's only advocate. And in "H.R. 1350: The Snake in the Grass,"
we remind readers that H.R. 1350 is not out of the picture. In fact, if our
legislators do not take a strong stand on maintaining the good parts of S.
1248, it's very possible H.R. 1350 will become law!

So what can you do about all this? Well, we have a new campaign - a quick
and easy way to generate a large number of contacts quickly. Please take a look
at our Three Friends Campaign, posted on the Home Page
(www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/1/index.htm). And even if you've already
written or called
your legislators, do it again, and urge your friends and family to do the same.
Emails are quick, easy, cheap - there's no reason not to take part in this
user-friendly campaign!

To help you in your advocacy efforts, we have added several items to our
Press Page (www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/3/index.htm): a link to
instructions for preparing PSA's (public service announcements) and a link to a
piece
providing tips on writing press releases. For those of you ready to take your
advocacy to a broader level, these links will get you there quickly and easily!

We also have, on our Breaking News page
(www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/2/index.htm), a piece on the Myths and
Realities of Attorney Fee Caps. These
Talking Points will help you in your contacts with legislators and in your own
thinking about this critical issue. Additionally, on our Grapevine Page
(www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/4/index.htm) we have an Action Alert,
including talking points and a sample letter, from CAPCA (a California advocacy
agency). And we have an excerpt of AUCD's Legislative News, along with letters
from CCD (Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities) on the topics of full
funding and attorney fee caps. All of these items will help you with your
contacts
with legislators and the media.

Another way to exert our political will, besides individual contacts with
legislators and dealing with the media, is to use our ultimate source of
political power - our vote. We have a link on our Resource page
(www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/5/index.htm), as well as several pieces on
our Message Board
(www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/4/index.htm), about a new free Yahoo!
listserv for people who want to learn about candidates' positions, pending
legislation, etc. affecting special education. While on the Message Board, take
a
look at the piece on joining the 2004 Campaign - learn how you can influence the
future of special education and truly make a difference for our kids!

Finally, on our Grapevine page
(www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/4/index.htm), we have a chance to honor our
readers' voices this week with several
pieces. We have a piece by an advocate detailing his concerns that this IDEA
reauthorization process has a hidden agenda - and it's not good for our kids!
His
concerns extend to NCLB as well (we also have an article by the New York
Times on our Message Board (www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/pages/4/index.htm),
explaining the unintended consequences of NCLB on public schools). We have a
parent's concerns that many people and legislators are using full funding as the
battle cry, ignoring the arguably more important reauthorization issues (such as
the elimination of short-term objectives, 3-year IEP's, attorney fee caps,
etc.). And we have a parent piece entitled "Fair Does Not Mean Equal,"
reminding us how obvious it SHOULD be that children with special needs require
special
treatment, and yet how obvious it apparently ISN'T (at least to those pushing
H.R. 1350-type proposals).

The Senate returns to session next week, so please work quickly before they
vote on their bill! We need to let them know, loud and clear, that we will
fight to protect our children any way we can! That's what parents do!

Sandy Alperstein, today's parentvolunteer@...


Sandy, Illinois (alpy2@...)
Volunteer Co-Webmaster, <A
HREF="www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com">www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com</A> (IDEA
reauthorization)


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