Presidential Transition

December, 2008 — COPAA met with the Presidential Transition Team to discuss the need for changes to the Department of Education's policies in order to provide effective educations to children with disabilities; improve and protect due process and evaluation rights; and, strengthen parents' rights and IDEA enforcement.

COPAA submitted topic briefs about these issues and others to the Presidential Transition Team. These topic briefs will be posted by the Presidential Transition Team on www.change.gov.The topic briefs include:

• Cover Letter
• Due Process Rights of Parents of Children with Disabilities
• The Need to Override Supreme Court Decisions Adversely Impacting Children with Disabilities (Murphy, Schaffer, and Buckhannon);
• The Right of Children with Disabilities to Educations that Provide Meaningful Educational Benefit;
• Parent's Rights to Evaluations and Independent Education Evaluations;
• Cochlear Implant Regulations;
• The Need for Parents to be Equal Members of the IEP Team;
• The Right to Observe in the Classroom;
• Stayput in Transition from Part C to Part B; and
• Preventing Abuse through Reducing the Use of Restraint, Seclusion, and Aversives.

(*PDFs require Acrobat Reader for viewing. If you don't have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, you can download a copy for free.)

COPAA appreciates the opportunity to work with the Presidential Transition Team and the team's desire to improve the education of children with disabilities and protect their parent's rights.

We encourage COPAA members to share your views and stories with the Presidential Transition Team. Tell your clients' stories or your own stories about how they have been impacted by special education and IDEA, or share your views about how children with disabilities would benefit from stronger laws, regulations, and policies. Go to http://change.gov/page/s/yourstory to share your stories and ideas.