OrPTI’s Blog

Every day, more than160,000 children nationwide stay home from school to avoid bullying. Up to one-third of the nation’s students are bullied during the academic year, and more than 60 percent witness bullying daily. The results of bullying can be devastating—or even tragic.

“Our mission is to engage, educate, and empower teens to care about bullying,” said Paula Goldberg, PACER’s executive director. “We encourage people nationwide to work together during National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children.”

In addition to visiting PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org for teens and PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org for elementary school children, people can help prevent bullying in several ways. Free activities to help reduce bullying in schools, recreational programs, and community groups, and materials such as contests, classroom toolkits, and more are available at PACER.org. Oregon PTI is partnering with PACER on this important issue.  We are offering trainings around the state on the issue of bullying, as well as providing information to increase public awareness.

“It’s time to take action,” Goldberg said. “Teachers, parents, students, and adults throughout each community must work together to create a climate that doesn’t accept bullying. When bullying is addressed, communities will see more students with higher self-esteem, better school attendance, less physical and mental stress, and better school performance.”

The week is sponsored by PACER’s National Center for Bullying Prevention, which is for all children, including those with disabilities. It promotes national bullying awareness and teaches effective ways to respond to bullying. National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is cosponsored by the American Federation for Teachers, National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, National Education Association, and School Social Work Association of America.

Wednesday afternoon (Sept 9) at 5pm EDT is the deadline for submitting questions and comments to the Secretary of Education for his Sept 15 National Town Meeting on Education Reform.

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SEPT 15 NATIONAL TOWN MEETING TO SUGGEST EDUCATION REFORMS, SHARE CONCERNS WITH SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.

EMAIL QUESTIONS/COMMENTS BY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 by 5pm EDT

WHAT IS THE EVENT? On September 15, 2009 at 8pm EDT, Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan will host an interactive national town meeting with parents across the nation by telephone, email, and with a studio audience. Parents can suggest reforms, share their ideas for improving education, and other concerns and comments. Here’s an excellent opportunity for parents of children with disabilities and

advocates to share their views and concerns with the Department of Education about closing the disability achievement gap and providing a truly meaningful education that enables every child to succeed; share experiences about meaningful participation in their child’s education; and share share information about excellent programs that exist and should be duplicated.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE? IS THERE A DEADLINE?
Email your thoughts and ideas to EducationTV@ed.gov by 5:00 pm EDT on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2009. You can also call into the town meeting on September 15 by dialing 1-888-493-9382. Phone lines will open at 8pm EDT on September 15.

ISSUES THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED MATTER TO PARENTS AND ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES: Topics that will be discussed include those below. Many relate to concerns that parents of children have, including the adequacy of the education children with disabilities receive and how to improve it; meaningful parental participation in IEP meetings as equals in educational planning; Least Restrictive Environment; and restraint/seclusion. The listed topics include:

* What do we need to do, and what do we need to do differently to ensure our students are successful?
* What does a quality school look like and how can more schools become consistently high achieving?
* How can parents become more involved with and engaged in their child’s education?
* What steps are schools at all levels of education taking to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment?
* What is working and what needs to change in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act? (This includes No Child Left Behind.)
* What are some effective practices for recruiting, retaining, supporting and compensating highly effective teachers?

WHY PARTICIPATE/EMAIL A QUESTION? DOES MY QUESTION REALLY MATTER? It is true that only a subset of questions may be selected for the program. But let’s say that a few hundred parents send in comments about the disability achievement gap, or share their concerns about how children deserve a truly meaningful education. Even if questions do not make the program, they are being received and surely being tallied and categorized. One way that other disability achievement gaps get attention is by shining a light on them. There are 7.1 million children with disabilities and its important to focus on improving the quality of education that they receive. Why not submit a question or comment? Its free! No stamp even needed! If you have ever written an email post with your thoughts on education, why not share some of those thoughts?

HOW CAN I VIEW THE PROGRAM OR GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT?
http://registerevent.ed.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewer.wheretowatch&intEventID=233
for information about the program, called “America Goes Back to School: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan – Tuesday, September 15, 2009.” If that link doesn’t work for you, try this one:
http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html
and click on the National Town Meeting with Arne Duncan. The program is a special edition of Education News Parents Can Use. It is one stop on Secretary Duncan’s national “Listening and Learning” tour to gather input on the state of education.

The Secretary of Education is proposing regulations that would implement general and non-loan provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA). Proposed regulations include specifying that students with intellectual disabilities who enroll in comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs are eligible for assistance under the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and the Federal Work-Study (FWS) programs. Comments must be received by September 21, 2009.

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-18550.htm

EEOC Says Class of Disabled Employees Fired After Taking Medical Leaves of Absence

CHICAGO – In a major class lawsuit filed here in federal court, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged that Atlanta-based United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS), the world’s largest package delivery company, violated federal law by rejecting an extension of medical leave as a reasonable accommodation for its employees with disabilities.

The EEOC’s administrative investigation, conducted prior to filing the lawsuit and supervised by Chicago District Director John Rowe, found that UPS violated the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). According to Rowe, Trudi Momsen, an administrative assistant at UPS, took a 12-month leave of absence from work when she began experiencing symptoms of what was later diagnosed as multiple sclerosis. She returned to work for a few weeks, but soon thereafter needed additional time off after experiencing what she believed to be negative side effects of her medication. Although Momsen could have returned to work after an additional two-week leave of absence, UPS fired her for exceeding its 12-month leave policy. Following its investigation, the EEOC reached an administrative determination that UPS failed to accommodate Momsen’s disability, in violation of the ADA.

“This case should send a wake up call to Corporate America that violating the Americans With Disabilities Act will result in vigorous enforcement by the EEOC,” said Commission Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. “The ADA has been the law of the land for nearly two decades now, and employers simply have no excuse for failing to abide by its provisions.”

The EEOC filed suit late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Chicago after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement with UPS. The litigation, captioned EEOC v. United Parcel Service, Inc. (Civil Action No. 09-C-5291) and assigned to U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr., seeks back pay and compensatory and punitive damages for Momsen and a class of disabled employees whom UPS similarly refused to accommodate, as well as an order barring future discrimination and other relief.

EEOC Chicago Regional Attorney John Hendrickson said, “One of the main goals of the ADA is to provide gainful employment to qualified individuals with disabilities. However, policies like this one at UPS, which set arbitrary deadlines for returning to work after medical treatment, unfairly keep disabled employees from working. Sometimes a simple conversation with the employee about what might be needed to return to work is all that is necessary to keep valued employees in their jobs.”

According to company information, Atlanta-based UPS, which describes itself at the world’s largest package delivery company, is a $49.7 billion global corporation operating in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The EEOC Chicago District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement, and the conduct of agency litigation in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and North and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at http://www.eeoc.gov.

Apply now for the PIP class of 2010!! Applications are being accepted for the Partners In Policymaking Class of 2010. This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss!!!

Oregon Partners in Policymaking (PIP), is an intensive 5-month leadership course for adults with developmental disabilities and parents of children with developmental disabilities. The program is operated by The Arc of Oregon and funded by the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities. It is free to participants.

The PIP program provides participants with the information to understand the past, the present, and the future for people with developmental disabilities and their families. It provides PIP members with the practical skills to positively affect their own lives and influence broader disability policy. Many of the over 180 Oregon Partners in Policymaking Graduates since 1994 have found participating in PIP has been a life-changing experience.

The website of the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities has more information about the program and comments from graduates. There is an application which can be completed on line and emailed or downloaded and mailed in.

For the direct link: http://ocdd.org/index.php/ocdd/trainings/130/

Please share this information with others who might be interested.

Please contact Marcie or Bill with any questions, concerns, or ideas about Partners in Policymaking.

Marcie Ingledue, 503-581-2726
marcie.ingledue@arcoregon.org
Bill Lynch, 503-945-9941
bill.f.lynch@state.or.us

The U.S. Department of Labor announced “Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation” as the official theme for October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It is intended to urge employers, as they seek to fill positions, to embrace the richness of America’s diversity by considering the talents of all workers, including workers with disabilities.

This year’s theme emphasizes the vision of the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): a world in which people with disabilities have unlimited employment opportunities. Early selection of an annual theme for upcoming National Disability Employment Awareness Month helps the private sector; federal, state and local governments; and advocacy organizations plan events and programs that showcase the abilities and skills of job seekers and working Americans who have disabilities.

ODEP is the nation’s first assistant secretary-led office that addresses policies that impact upon the employment of people with disabilities. The office provides national leadership on disability employment policy by developing and influencing the use of evidence-based disability employment policies and practices, building collaborative partnerships, and delivering authoritative and credible data on the employment of people with disabilities.

As background for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Public Law 176, enacted by Congress in 1945, designated the first week in October as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” President Harry S. Truman designated the (now former) President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities to carry out the law. Congress changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month” in 1988. The responsibility for leading the nationwide recognition was transferred to the newly created ODEP in 2001.

An Annual Overview of Selected Legal Issues Affecting Special Education Administration and Practices
October 5-7, 2009 (Monday–Wednesday)
Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport
Seattle, Washington

Featuring

* Pre-Institute Mini-Courses
Nine pre-Institute mini-courses providing an in-depth view of special education law applicable in public schools
* For Attorneys
One pre-Institute seminar providing two CLE credit hours in ethics
* Workshops
Sixteen unique workshops discussing the pressing issues found in special education today
* General Sessions
Four general sessions featuring respected experts addressing timely issues

http://depts.washington.edu/slawd/institute.htm

The Education Department has released draft guidance offering more details on the waivers states and districts may seek from Title I requirements. $10 billion has been made available under the economic-stimulus law for that program.

Those wishing to submit comments to the department on the guidance have until Monday, July 13, to do so.

Here is a link to the draft for you to download in a word document: http://www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/title-i-waiver.doc

Read quickly, you only have a short time to get those comments in!