Bahl-Sen Law

Districts are currently determining the feasibility of the re-opening of certain classes as permitted under guidelines issued. Citing safety concerns, the leader of the Los Angeles teachers union said Friday it opposes reopening campuses for small in-person classes or one-on-one services for students who are disabled or learning English even though county health officials have cleared the way to do so....Some outside advocacy groups pushed back against the union’s positio...n. Long Beach Unified School District, one of the state’s largest districts, is reviewing the guidelines, but we don’t anticipate that formal negotiations will be needed for a return of students, district spokesman Chris Eftychiou said. We will, however, continue to collaborate with our labor partners. https://www.latimes.com//l-a-teachers-union-opposes-small-

The challenge that I give to schools is to really rise to the challenge, meet with families, be creative...But you're going to have to be even more creative than you've normally been." - Shawn Ullman of The Arc, a national nonprofit that advocates on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. https://www.npr.org//for-students-with-disabilities-school

Thank you to KPCC / NPR for my interview today on Take Two and for the opportunity to discuss the personal difficulties many of us are facing in juggling career/family during the pandemic and voicing my concerns on special education during the ongoing LA County school closures. #KPCC #NPR PARENTS WEIGH IN ON UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR Following the news that most schools in California won’t be opening their doors at the start of the academic year, parents are scrambling to figure ...out how the heck we’re going to make online learning work for our kids. Some parents are scrambling to connect with teachers to figure whether they need to reduce work hours to help their kids, while others are considering hiring tutors. One thing’s for sure -- the start of this year is going to bring a host of new challenges. Guests: Vicky Martinez, mother of four boys, who are all attending LA Unified schools in Highland Park Priya Bahl Sen, mother of two, a daughter and a son going to school in the Long Beach Unified School District https://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2020/07/29/21053/

Decision issued today from trial...we prevailed in obtaining specialized reading services for a struggling student. The evidence has established that with proper reading support, Student could progress. #specialeducationlawyer

From the beginning, experts in distance learning warned that it can magnify inequities, with the most able and highly advantaged learners humming along while learners who need more support fall far behind. Four in 10 parents whose children are in special education reported that they are not receiving any support at all. https://www.npr.org//survey-shows-big-remote-learning-gaps

We appreciate Long Beach Post covering the issues facing special needs students in Long Beach Unified during the COVID-19 closure. Nobody really knows what’s going on, Bahl-Sen said, but she urged parents to be careful: They shouldn’t waive any legal rights such as mandated meetings with the district and make-up servicesknown as compensatory servicesthat could help kids recover from regression. Education officials and attorneys at Hope4Families are rushing to figure out exactly what schools’ obligations are to disabled students during a global pandemic, something not covered in the federal law that mandates equal access to education. https://lbpost.com//schools-closed-disabled-special-ed-aut

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a webinar and fact sheet this week for education leaders aimed at ensuring that students’ civil rights are upheld while schools are closed due to COVID-19. If a School District continues to provide educational opportunities to the general student population during a school closure, the school must ensure that students with disabilities also have equal access to the same opportunities, including the provision of FAPE. https://www.disabilityscoop.com//ed-department-off/28000/

I can’t tell you how much this resonates to me growing up with autism.

In December 2017, California students and teachers filed a lawsuit, against the State of California, addressing the fundamental rights of disadvantaged students (including low income, minority communities, and students with disabilities) to a basic education (equal access to basic literacy skills). A $53 million settlement with the state was reached today awarding resources to 75 public elementary schools, including charters, with the poorest third-grade reading scores in Cal...ifornia over the last two years. We shouldn’t have to be filing lawsuits to establish a right to read, said Public Counsel Attorney Rosenbaum. The plaintiffs included current or former students and educators at La Salle Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles; Van Buren Elementary School in Stockton; and the charter school Children of Promise Preparatory Academy in Inglewood. La Salle and Van Buren will be among the schools that receive funding, Rosenbaum said, but not all the recipient schools have been named. https://www.latimes.com//california-literacy-lawsuit-settl

The American Library Association named three winners and three honorees of its Schneider Family Book Awards, for telling stories of those with autism and other disabilities. The awards, which recognize authors and illustrators for the portrayal of the disability experience, are given annually in three categories. https://www.disabilityscoop.com//childrens-books-w/27769/

A link for the free MindShift Guide to Understanding Dyslexia by Reporter Holly Korbey is provided below. In this Guide, you will find: A scientific definition of what dyslexia is (and isn’t), possible causes, and how it’s most often manifested. A discussion of how dyslexia is most often recognized, as- sessed and treated. What dyslexia intervention entails. Some successful teaching/learning strategies for those who work with dyslexics.... Technology that specifically aids dyslexics. #dyslexia #earlyintervention See more

A wonderful idea... "The purpose for starting with laundromats is we want to expose parents and children to more literacy, more opportunities to engage in print and books and reading. - Dea Wright, director of the Milwaukee Office of Early Childhood. #earlyintervention #minilibraries https://www.wuwm.com//laundromat-libraries-aim-boost-liter

It is not unusual for dyslexics to go unrecognized until adolescence and beyond, a systemic shortcoming that effectively abandons struggling young readers during the most critical years of learning. - Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity #dyslexiaawareness #earlyintervention https://www.kqed.org//why-getting-help-for-kids-with-dysle