Political Quotes

“not since Congress first passed legislation to help children with disabilities to receive a free and appropriate public education has a bill done so much for disabled students, parents, and their teachers. That is why I am proud to support the Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act. One important aspect of this legislation is that it helps to reduce the over-identification and mis-identification of non-disabled students. For far too long, students that were not disabled were classified as being disabled--stigmatizing these children for the rest of their education even though they were fully capable students. H.R. 1350 encourages the use of early intervention strategies, which we all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By reducing the number of non-disabled students receiving services, students who truly need assistance will have more resources available to them. I would also like to point out that our litigious society has fostered an atmosphere of mistrust and apprehension between parents and teachers. H.R. 1350 gives parents and schools increased flexibility in resoling disputes. Through mediation and voluntary binding arbitration, the trust between parents and teachers can be restored. While I understand the fears and concerns of some regarding changes to IDEA, I believe that H.R. 1350 goes a long way towards increasing accountability and flexibility for both teachers and parents.”