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Any information provided in our announcement page is for general information purposes
only, and SPaN is not responsible for the orginal source's accuracy of content, nor does content necessarily reflect the views
of SPaN
- Governor Patrick signs H.391 Act to Provide Access to Information for Parents' Evaluators Governor
Patrict signed the bill to improve access of independent evaluators to observe a child in school. Many parents have
been essentially prevented from having an evaluator observe their child which has undermined their ability to get needed services. Summary of H.391
- DOE Mandates New Forms for SLD Eligibility The Massachusetts Department
of Education has issued a new set of forms and technical assistance documents that are to be used when finding a student eligible
for special education with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). District eligibility Teams may begin using the new forms
immediately and must begin using them by the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. A variety of training opportunities will
be available to districts over the course of the next several months.
To read the complete DOE Memorandum, follow this
link:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/iep/sld/
Governor signs Transition Age Bill Into Law SPED transition planning to
stay at 14; Wraps up disability-related items in 2007-2008 session Two positive pieces of news from Beacon Hill:
1. Veto overrides
2. House passes S286, Transition Age Bill
(Stay tuned for a follow-up message with action on this item) ...more on Transition Age Bill
FY 2009 Fiscal Challenges Facing DMR (October 16, 2008 advisory)
Yesterday, Governor Patrick presented the Fiscal Action Plan that the Commonwealth will implement to
address the estimated deficit of $1.4 billion in the FY 2009 state budget due to the economic downturn. The Plan calls
for spending cuts and cost saving initiatives. For the Department of Mental Retardation (Department of Developmental
Services as of July 1, 2009), our $1.2 billion budget is reduced by a total of $7.336 million, with $1.9 million cut from
the administration and operations account, $3 million cut from the state facilities account, $1.8 million cut from the autism
account and the balance from reductions in earmarks in the community residential services, community day and work programs
and family support services. ...more DMR Fiscal Challenges
- The Higher Education Opportunity Act will address multiple barriers students
with disabilities face in accessing and completing higher education. The legislation builds upon previous demonstration projects
to provide assistance to faculty, staff, and administrators in educating students with disabilities. The creation of an advisory
commission and new programs will help improve access to college course materials for students with print disabilities. ...more on the Higher Ed Opportunity Act
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