Wright State Campus Visit
Wright State University is hosting a Campus Visit Day for Students with Disabilities in Grades 6-10, and their families, on Saturday, August 8 from 9:00-2:00. Students and families will have the opportunity to learn about educational opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), preparing for college, meet current Students with Disabilities attending Wright State, and tour the campus. If you are interested in participating, please respond by Friday, July 31 to Starting.Wright@gmail.com or (937) 775-5827. See the flyer below for additional details.
Court settlement requires ODE to ask districts to help notify parents and students regarding a proposed court settlement regarding special education
On July 2, the Southern District Court of Ohio issued an order regarding a proposed agreed partial settlement in the case of John Doe, et al., v. State of Ohio, et al. This case is a class action on behalf of students with disabilities and their parents or guardians that challenged some of the state’s procedures for implementing the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). This case was first presented in the early 1990s.
The settlement addresses the following topics: additional provisions for districts when requesting a waiver of the ratios; formal meetings and notices to parents of children with disabilities residing in the district as part of monitoring; and complaint investigations which determine whether or not the child, who is the subject of a complaint, received a free appropriate public education.
Because this is a class action, it is important that all students with disabilities and their parents and guardians receive notice of the proposed settlement and upcoming court proceedings about the settlement. Those upcoming proceedings include the opportunity to object or comment in writing by Sept. 16 (the address is listed in the notice) and a court hearing on Oct. 20, 2009.
For this reason, as part of the settlement process, the court has required that ODE ask all districts in Ohio to post a notice of the court hearing involving the case, as well as the consent order (the document that sets forth the terms of the proposed settlement and the changes that will be implemented once the settlement becomes effective).
Copies of the documents were sent via e-mail to school districts last week by ODE’s Office for Exceptional Children (OEC). The notice and consent order should be posted in your buildings and on your Web site (if you have one) from July 17 until Oct. 20, 2009. We also ask that you be willing to provide a copy of the consent order and notice upon request by parents or other interested parties.
We sincerely appreciate your efforts to help us notify students and parents regarding the settlement and their right to participate in the process. If you have any questions, please contact Ann Guinan at (614) 466-2650 or ann.guinan@ode.state.oh.us.
