Pete Sessions: “I too have received a good number of letters which involve feedback from parents who are concerned about changes in the…”

“I too have received a good number of letters which involve feedback from parents who are concerned about changes in the law; they are concerned about what any IDEA reauthorization would look like. As a parent of a son, a person who has Downs Syndrome and is affected with the afflictions that come with that syndrome, I can tell my colleagues that I too am concerned about these things and approached this entire effort with an open mind, instead of saying I do not want any changes. I said, what are the things that we have learned from time; what are the things that we think we can do to get closer to not only better inclusion but to have better results from our children who fall within the IDEA guidelines? Mr. Speaker, my son, who is 9 years old, and who is in first grade, is making progress. And I see where these things occur. But this committee and this subcommittee, under the leadership of the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), have done things to go in and instead of keeping the status quo, they have gone in and made things dynamic.”