One of Best-Kept Special Ed Secrets

If you are a parent of a child in Special Education, you know that you need all the help you can get. And it's even better if it's free.

Five years ago then-Director of Special Education for the Illinois State Board of Education Christopher Koch issued a Memorandum to all School District Superintendents, Directors of Special Education and Parent Organizations, titled "Guidance: Appropriate Procedures for Determining Placement in the Least Restrictive Environment and Identifying and Providing Appropriate Special Education and Related Services."

Quite a mouthful; right?

Dr. Koch is no longer Director of Special Education for ISBE. Fortunately for special education students in Illinois, he is now the Superintendent of ISBE! Bravo! Hooray!

On Page 2 of his Memo (where recipients should have still be reading before eyelids drooped), Dr. Koch asked that special education directors "...disseminate copies of this memorandum to all school administrators, teachers, related services personnel, and parents of students with disabilities in their district..." (emphasis added)

Well, I know it has only been five years, but this copies of this memo have never been made available to the parents of the 900 special education students in Woodstock District 200. I have never met a parent of a special education student who knew of this Memo.

Although it is five years old, it contains a considerable amount of useful information - information that will help a parent get necessary services for his or her child. If you are a parent of a child in special education, go now to http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/pdfs/lre_guidance.pdf and print this Memo. Then make a copies of it. Underline it. Highlight it. Mark it up. Send a copy to the entire IEP Team for your student. (Send them the URL and let them print their own copies.)

Students in special education are entitled to their own Individualized Education Programs. They are not to be jammed into a one-size-fits-all class. Expensive for the school districts? Yes. Required? Yes. And it's more economical than a lifetime of care by State funds.

Pete Wright (http://www.wrightslaw.com/) tells his own story of being a special education student and lost in high school. His parents got him into a residential program. Now he is a lawyer and a national advocate for students with special needs. Pete and Pam's son struggled in high school, and the so-called "professionals" recommended trade school. No way! Their son is now a lawyer, too.

If you need help in getting related services for your child, reach out. Ask questions. Demand answers. Talk to other parents. Never stop asking where you can get help.

There are paid, professional, special education advocates who charge $100/hour. They are certain attorneys who know a lot about special education (and many who don't) who charge $250-400/hour. And there are volunteer advocates who will help you.

Check out http://www.frcd.org/, which is a Chicago-based organization that provide parent training. You can sign up for an introductory Tuesday or Saturday workshop, get hand-outs, information, and have it cost you a whole - What? It's free??? Yes! Go to their website or call 312.939.2913

Honoring Illinois' Fallen

The Office of the Governor of Illinois has directed that U.S. and Illinois flags be lowered to half-staff in memory of the late Army PFC Shane D. Penley of Sauk Village, Illinois, from sunrise, Tuesday, April 15 until sunset, Thursday, April 17, 2008.

Although the Governor's directive applies to United States flags and Illinois flags at all buildings occupied by State of Illinois personnel, many municipalities, counties and businesses also observe the directive.

From the Patriot Guard website, "Pfc. Shane D. Penley, 19, of Sauk Village, Ill., died April 6 at Patrol Base Copper, Iraq, from wounds suffered while on duty at a guard post. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. "

If you observe the U.S. flag flying at full-staff, consider contacting the municipality, county, school district or business and informing them of the Governor's order.

IEPs and Your Special Ed Student

Do you have a child in Special Education in your school? Do you spend more time at your child's school than he does?

Spring is the season for annual reviews of IEPs. What's an IEP? An Individualized Education Program is the legal document that dictates how your Special Education child's schooling is to be conducted. The keyword here is Individualized. It is to be tailored to your child's needs, as determined by the IEP Team. A parent is an equal member of the IEP Team and the person who knows your child best.

Schools are required by Federal and State Laws to follow the IEPs. But do they?

When we drop our kids off at school, we expect schools to be safe places. We expect our children to be treated with dignity and respect. We do not expect them to be bullied - by either other children or by teachers or staff. We expect a positive learning environment. Our kids in Special Education may learn differently than other students. They are entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

Many schools meet their obligations to provide a FAPE in the LRE. Others? Well, that's a topic for another day.

Valuable information for parents of children in Special Education is available, without charge, by reading www.wrightslaw.com and by signing up for the free weekly e-newsletter from that website.

A wealth of information is available from the Illinois State Board of Education at www.isbe.net/spec-ed Scroll down to the tab and click on "Special Education" and then click on "Resources for Parents". The amount of information will seem overwhelming, but it can be managed.

The Family Council of the Family CARE Project is beginning to establish support groups for parents of students with disabilities in McHenry County. The first groups will be in Algonquin and Woodstock. As interest grows, groups will be established in other areas of McHenry County. If you are interested in such a group, call 815.788.4360 or email an expression of your interest to Gus@WoodstockAdvocate.com I'll relay your email to the appropriate contact person; if it is about the Woodstock group, I'll respond directly.

Watch for news of the first meeting of the Woodstock group.

Mental Health Awareness

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. What surprised me is that "Mental Health Month was created more than 50 years ago to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all." Source: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/may

Do you know someone whose mental health is a little shaky? Are they getting the help that they need? Are you getting the help that you need, if you are the one with issues related to mental health?

Watch for community events coming up that will give people an opportunity to learn more about mental health and the wide range of services available right here in McHenry County. We have a "708 Board" here - the McHenry County Mental Health Board. It's a starting place for many to find out about services for themselves and others. For information, go to http://www.mc708.org/ or call 815.455.2828

We have our own chapter of NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For information, go to http://www.namimchenrycounty.org/ or call 815.444.9991 Monthly meetings of the NAMI chapter are held at the offices of the Mental Health Board. There are worthwhile, ongoing programs and courses for family members and friends of those who are experiencing mental illness.

The Family CARE Project is funded by a six-year, $9,000,000 grant received by the Mental Health Board. See www.mchenrycountyfamilycare.org or call 815.788.4360 The Family Council recently formed committees of parents to provide education and training, support groups and outreach activities to help McHenry County residents. The first support groups will be established in the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills and Woodstock areas. Contact Family CARE for information. You can also contact The Woodstock Advocate for information by emailing Gus@WoodstockAdvocate.com

An early focus of the parent support groups of the Family CARE Project will be IEPs and educational issues for students. This topic was the Number 1 area of interest expressed by parents of students with disabilities, on a survey of the Family Council. Watch for announcements of meetings of the support groups, or call 815.788.4360 for contact information. Ask to be put in touch with Lori Kane (Algonquin group) or Gus Philpott (Woodstock group).

There are numerous other organizations with support services, such as SEDOM (http://www.sedom.org/), CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder), Easter Seals, a chapter of the epilepsy foundation.

Quiet Wisdom

For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine:

Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.

"What in bag?" asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine I got it for my husband."

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: "Good trade....."

Living Wills, etc.

Wednesday, April 16, is National Health Care Decisions Day. There was an interesting program on Y103.9 on Sunday morning, when Stew Cohen interviewed Jim Gould, an instructor in the philosophy department.

This Wednesday, April 16, the Partners Coalition (a grouping of hospitals, hospices, Mc Henry County College and faith communities) will sponsor a panel discussion at MCC about these valuable documents and effective planning. The program will be from 7:00-8:30PM. I don't recall that the location was mentioned; try the Conference Center auditorium.

Stew and Jim discussed the importance of living wills and medical directives on the Northwest Spectrum program, which is aired each week at 6:00AM. Lovely time for an important program; right? There is a move afoot at the radio station to archive the programs so that they can be accessed online.

Many already know about Living Wills and Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Property, but apparently only about 30% of the population have completed them. And of that number, many have not discussed them with family members. Will the family be able to find the forms when they are needed?

After you prepare and sign your documents, you might want to get someone like me to shoot holes in them and show you where they will fall apart. They'll look good on paper, but it's important to trouble-shoot them and identify in advance where they will break down and not be honored. Get someone to play the devil's advocate; then re-do and tighten up the forms to raise the possibility that your wishes will actually be carried out.

During the program Jim explained the importance of three issues: 1. Consider your values and goals; do you want to be kept alive in a vegetative state indefinitely? 2. Put in writing. Have the documents prepared and then sign them. You won't even have to go broke getting them done. 3. Talk with your family. Tell them your wishes and ask them to honor them.

Let me add No. 4: put them where they will be found when they are needed!

The timing is great, isn't it? The day after Income Tax Day. Let's hope we survive another April 15th!

The Tax Man Cometh

Hear about the man who called the Post Office last year at 11:55PM and asked how late he could mail his return? When told he could mail it up until midnight for the postmark, he said, "Good! Where do I get the forms?"

OK, so how are you doing with your tax returns? This year I did not wait until the last minute. I did them today! Fortunately, I keep up with the bookkeeping throughout the year and even had the totals done. Just a matter of plugging in the numbers on the forms. I did them online one year and hated it. It's much easier for me to do them on paper, make copies and mail them off.

Anyone out there who normally would not file a return? Check to see if you qualify for the Economic Stimulus Payment. Some people are going to miss it. They'll qualify but they won't file a return to get it.

What a joke! Like $300 is going to stimulate the economy. And it's our money, anyway. Where is it coming from? Certainly not from the surplus! What surplus??? Did you read where we are heading to the largest deficit ever in the current budget?

I'll bet it would have just been cheaper for I.R.S. (us!) just to mail $300 to everyone.

What if the I.R.S. just shut down? What do you think the budget of I.R.S. is? Does it cost more to operate I.R.S. that they take in?

I was audited on my 1983 return. The auditor spent eight hours on it. When all was said and done, I owed taxes on $400 of additional income and she waived the extra tax.

I was audited once before that. I.R.S. questioned four items on my return. When I went to their office to discuss it, the auditor asked about the first issue, and I explained why I had deducted the amount. He told me he'd have to check with his supervisor, left the room, came back in five minutes and said everything was okay. On to Item 2.

We discussed that, after which he left the room to check with his supervisor. Upon return, he said all was okay, and we proceeded to Item 3.

After a thorough discussion of Item 3, he said that he probably didn't need to check with his supervisor, but he would, anyway. He left the room; when he returned, he said all was okay and we went on to the last item.

After discussing it, he said he ought to check with his supervisor but he wasn't going to, since I had been right so far on three out of three.

How do I view I.R.S. auditors? They are just people, like everyone else, and there to do their jobs. There are plenty of cheats out there, and they will catch them. And they should. If you have done your homework and prepared your tax returns carefully, kept records, have receipts and believe you understand the law, then you'll have no problems.