This Wednesday, November 17, 2004, at 2:30 pm Eastern time, there will be a
public meeting in Room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington,
D.C. There, in front of press and the public, the conferees will likely
announce the completion of a bipartisan IDEA reauthorization bill. If you can
make it to D.C. for this meeting, please do! It would be great if we could flood
the room with families!

THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! PLEASE LET THE CONFEREES KNOW
YOUR THOUGHTS! Here's an action alert, and for other ideas, please visit Our
Children Left Behind (http://www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com/). A complete list
of contact information for all of the conferees follows at the end of this
action alert.


Forwarded with permission -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congress is probably in the final stages of completing the long-dreaded
reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Students
with
disabilities are almost certain to lose important rights, but there remain
important questions about how many and which ones. CONGRESS NEEDS TO HEAR FROM
FAMILES, FRIENDS AND PROFESSIONALS.

Please fax the following letter to the people on the list below, and other
legislators as time permits, with your contact info on top.

RE: PROTECT STUDENTS IN THE REAUTHORIZATION OF IDEA

Dear Senator or Representative ________ & Ms. or Mr. ___________(staffer, if
you know):

I am very disturbed by proposals to undermine the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act. Providing appropriate educational services to our
most
vulnerable children is a moral responsibility, and it is a vital investment in
our future. With adequate education, many children can become independent as
adults, and for many others, long-term care costs can be substantially
reduced.
I am very concerned that Congress seems to be letting highly vocal school
administrators who for many years have resisted IDEA, rather than complying
with it, push forward radical changes in this vital law, so that parents and
children will have no longer have any recourse against their failures. Please
save the protections of IDEA, especially in three areas: 1) "stay put" during
disputes between families and school districts; 2) access to due process
protections, including access for parents to legal representation, freedom from
the
threat of paying the often excessive legal fees incurred by school districts
to fight against children with disabilities, and access to federal courts via
parent representation for children whose families cannot afford lawyers; and
3) documentation of educational planning, so that vital rights will not be
shredded in the name of reducing "paperwork."

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KEY CONFEREES (information for ALL conferees follows):

If you're pressed for time, just send faxes to the following:

Sen. Judd Gregg:
Fax to Attention Ms. Denzel McGuire,
fax: 202-228-4222 or 202-228-5044

Sen. Edward Kennedy: Fax to Attention Ms. Connie
Garner 202-224-5128

Rep. John Boehner: Fax to Attention Mr. David Cleary
202-226-1010

Rep. George Miller: Fax to Attention Ms. Alice Johnson
Cain 202-225-3277

Rep. Michael Castle: Fax to Attention Ms. Sarah
Ritling 202-225-2291

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ALL CONFEREES:

SENATE CONFEREES

Jeff Sessions (Prim Formby)
202-221-4124
202-224-3149 (fax)
www.sessions.senate.gov/contact.htm#form

Christopher Dodd (Grace Reef)
202-224-2823
202-228-1683; 202-224-1083 (fax)
www.dodd.senate.gov/webmail/

Tom Harkin (Mary Giliberti)
202-224-3254
202-224-9369 (fax)
www.harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

Pat Roberts (Jennifer Swanson)
202-224-4774
202-224-3514 (fax)
www.roberts.senate.gov/e-mail_pat.html

Barbara Mikulski (Rebecca Litt)
202-224-4654
202-224-8858 (fax)
www.mikulski.senate.gov/mailform.html

Edward Kennedy (Connie Garner)
202-224-6390
202-224-5128
Connie_Garner@...

Christopher Bond (Kara Vlasaty)
202-224-5721
202-224-8149 (fax)
www.bond.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm

John Ensign (Lindsey Loveland)
202-224-6244
202-228-2193 (fax)
www.ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm

Judd Gregg (Stephanie Monroe)
202-224-6770
Stephanie_Monroe@...
Also Send Faxes To:
Ms. Denzel McGuire: 202-228-4222 or 202-2248-5044

Jeff Bingaman (Michael Uyuden)
202-224-5521
202-224-2852 (fax)
senator_bingaman@...

Hillary Clinton (Susie Saavedra)
202-224-2923
202-228-0282 (fax)
Susie_Saavedra@...

Johns Edwards (Sarah Pendergraft)
202-224-3154
202-228-1374 (fax)
www.edwards.senate.gov/mailform.html

Mike DeWine (Mary Beth Luna)
202-224-2315
202-224-6519 (fax)
www.dewine.senate.gov/request_form.htm

Jack Reed (Elise Wasch)
202-224-4642
202-224-4680 (fax)
www.reed.senate.gov/contact.htm#DC

Lindsey Graham (Laura Bauld)
202-224-5972
202-224-1189 (fax)
www.lgraham.senate.gov/

Lamar Alexander (Kristin Benderman)
202-224-5800
202-228-0412; 202-228-3398 (fax)
www.alexander.senate.gov/contact/

Bill Frist (Talivah Bayles)
202-224-3344
202-228-1264 (fax)
www.frist.senate.gov/index.cfm

James Jeffords (Sherry Kaiman)
202-224-5141
202-228-0776 (fax)
www.jeffords.senate.gov/contact-form.html

John Warner (JK Robinson)
202-224-2023
202-224-6295 (fax)
www.warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.htm

Patty Murray (Jamie Fasteau)
202-224-2621
202-224-0238 (fax)
www.murray.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

Michael Enzi (Scott Fleming)
202-224-3424
202-228-0359 (fax)
Scott_Fleming@...


HOUSE CONFEREES

John Boehner (David Cleary)
202-225-6205
202-225-0704 (fax); David Cleary fax: 202-226-1010
www.johnboehner.house.gov/contact.asp

Vernon Ehlers
202-225-3831
202-225-5144 (fax)
www.house.gov/ehlers/

Ric Keller
202-225-2176
202-225-0999 (fax)
www.house.gov/keller/Frset.htm

Joe Wilson
202-225-2452
202-225-2455 (fax)
Joe.Wilson@...
www.joewilson.house.gov/

George Miller (Alice Johnson Cain)
202-225-2095
202-225-3277 (fax)
george.miller@...
www.house.gov/georgemiller/

Lynn Woolsey
202-225-5161
202-225-5163 (fax)
www.woolsey.house.gov/emailform.asp

Major Owens
202-225-6231
202-226-0112 (fax)
www.house.gov/owens/

Michael Castle (Sarah Ritling)
202-225-4165
202-225-2291 (fax)
www.house.gov/castle/

F. James Sensenbrenner
www.house.gov/sensenbrenner/

Lamar Smith
www.lamarsmith.house.gov/

John Conyers
www.house.gov/conyers/

Joe Barton
www.joebarton.house.gov/

Michael Bilirakis
www.house.gov/bilirakis/

John Dingell
www.house.gov/dingell/

Sandy, Illinois (alpy2@...)
Volunteer Co-Webmaster, Our Children Left Behind
(http://www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com)


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