Special Ed Advocate Newsletter
At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need navigate the challenging, changing world of special education.
Bullying & harassment; feds say "harassment cannot be tolerated";
success story - dealing with bullying & harassment; stop bullying
now; Wrightslaw programs in NJ, NY, IN, MO, AZ; help for children who
are bullied; disability harassment in public schools; free pubs about
bullying & harassment; twice exceptional children. Download
1. Message from the Editor: Bullying & Harassment
some facts to consider:
2. Feds Say "Harassment Cannot Be Tolerated"
"Disability harassment is preventable and cannot be tolerated. Schools, colleges, and universities should address the issue of disability harassment not just when but before incidents occur . . . "
On July 25, 2000, the Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Special Education (OSERS) published a joint memorandum about disability harassment. The memo includes these sections:
* Why Disability Harassment is Important
* Laws that Apply to Disability Harassment
* How to Prevent & Respond to Disability Harassment
3. Success Story: How I Dealt with Bullying & Harassment at School
to time, you send success stories. We share these stories so you can see
how other parents use facts and common sense to resolve problems and get
better services for their children.
"I worked with the parent of a young girl who was being harassed by a group of boys. This harassment involved comments about race and sex that became increasingly explicit and threatening over time."
"The parent talked to the teachers, principal, and the parents of the boys. The teachers ignored it. The principal acted as if the girl was causing the problems."
is the strategy I used to stop the bullying and harassment -- and cause
4. Stop Bullying Now
Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies for Reducing Bullying
by Stan Davis describes research on effective bullying prevention intervention
programs. Mr. Davis says that bullying is not the fault of the victim
and needs to be dealt with systematically by school personnel. Schools
Where Everyone Belongs presents research based practices that schools
information and excellent resources about bullying, please visit the Uniquely
5. Put a Wrightslaw Training Program on Your To-Do List
Wrightslaw programs scheduled for this winter are filling up fast. If you plan to attend, register soon. If you wait, you may find that the program in your area is sold out!
OH: February 23-24, 2005 SOLD OUT!
Island, NY: March 4-5, 2005 (Mini Boot Camp)
Special Education Law and Advocacy Training Programs focus on four
areas: special education laws, rights & responsibilities; how to use
the bell curve to measure educational progress & regression; SMART
IEPs; and advocacy tactics & strategies.
All participants receive two books,
Special Education Law and Wrightslaw:
From Emotions to Advocacy, with their registration (Value: $59.90).
6. Help for Children Who Are Bullied & Harassed
Bullying.org is a site / forum for children and teenagers who have experienced bullying. Students from around the world post stories, poems, plays, and songs that speak to their pain and frustration - and their sense that the adults in their lives are unwilling to help.
Raven Days: Surviving Middle School, Junior High, and High School as a Hunted Outsider
be safe for all students. Someday perhaps they will be. But as long as
they are not, there need to be places where students can gather for support
in dealing with the status quo, and for help in changing it. That
is why Raven Days was created.
7. Disability Harassment in the Public Schools
The next issue of The Beacon: Journal of Special Education Law & Practice will feature "Disability Harassment in the Public Schools" by Mark Weber, Professor of Law, DePaul University. Mr. Weber writes:
It is a common mistake to view disability discrimination as mere thoughtlessness or failure to take extra steps to accommodate the unique needs of people with disabilities. In reality, much disability discrimination is the overt expression of hostility and the conscious effort to subordinate members of a group with less power and social standing than the majority."
"Nowhere is the injury more common or more severe than in elementary and high schools . . . "
The Beacon is a multidisciplinary journal that includes articles and essays for attorneys, advocates and others who are interested in special education law and practice. Each issue focuses on a theme and includes practical and theoretical articles. Learn more. Beacon Archives.
8. Free Pubs: Bullying & Harassment
One obstacle in advocating for a child with a disability is finding the time to do research. We spend hours collecting information so you can spend your time learning, not searching. Here are links to two excellent pubs about bullying & harassment.
"It is estimated that 30 percent of American children are regularly involved in bullying, either as bullies, victims, or both (National Resource Center for Safe Schools [NRCSS], 2001)." Schoolwide Prevention of Bullying provides an overview of bullying, reviews of successful anti-bullying programs, and resources. (28 pages in pdf)
Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crimes: A Guide for Schools published by the U. S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and National Association of Attorneys General.
Many children experience sexual, racial and ethnic harassment at school. Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crimes provides guidance about how to protect students from harassment and violence based on race, color, national origin, sex, and disability. (167 pages in pdf) Download
Twice-exceptional children are gifted children who have special educational needs - AD/HD, learning disabilities, Asperger Syndrome, etc. Because their giftedness can mask their special needs and their special needs can hide their giftedness, they are often labeled as "lazy" and "unmotivated".
on giftedness & learning differences
10. Subscription & Contact Info
Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education
legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics and strategies. Subscribers
receive "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers
on Wrightslaw books.