UPDATE - The Never Ending Saga ENDS !! (download pdf)

 

Government Awareness Update

February 2007

Lori A. Harris

State Issues:

 

The 80^th session of the Texas Legislature was called to order in January.

 

The following Bills being considered in this legislative session include educational diagnosticians in their text:

 

HB 721 This bill adds diagnosticians to the group of professionals that are required to be certified by educational code.  Diagnosticians are currently required to be certified by SBEC.

 

SB 158 - This is the companion bill in the senate for HB 721.  The language is exactly the same as the House Bill.

 

HB 517 - This bill would add educational diagnosticians to the list of professionals on the states minimum salary schedule.

 

A legislative day was held on February 15, 2007.  A group of professionals representing TEDA met with representatives from the House and Senate in Austin in support of the above mentioned bills.  Feedback from those in attendance was very positive.

 

Stakeholder meetings have been held in Austin over the last couple of months to discuss the alignment of the Commissioner’s Rules with IDEA 2004 Federal Regulations.   The organization was represented at these meeting by Georgene Moon, TEDA’s current president.  Regional Service Centers will be holding sessions to review the data from the Stakeholder meetings with key district personnel.

 

It is very important for our members to write their state senators and representatives to support our efforts.  When writing to your senator or representative, briefly describe your role as a diagnostician, the importance of the role in the school setting and cite the bill numbers in your letter.   To access your senator’s and representative’s address go to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us.  To the right side of the screen is a box (Who Represents Me) that allows you to look up this information by your address and zip code.

 

Federal/National Issues:

 

NCLB is up for reauthorization.  CEC has a position paper available on it’s website with recommendations for changes to this law.

 

Websites:

www.cec.sped.org, www.texasonline.com, www.govenor.state.tx.us, www.txeda.org, www.tea.state.tx.us, www.capitol.state.tx.us

How to be an effective advocate (download pdf)

78th Legislative Session:

Legislative update

TEDA Legislative Goal:

The Educational Code be amended to include educational diagnosticians in the list of school personnel required to hold an appropriate certification.

1. Stay on topic.

2. Provide information about Educational Diagnositicians’ role in public education

3. Identify and explain the local perspective

4. Meeting with Legislators or Staff is a 3-step process:
a. The Meeting
b. A Thank-you note to the Legislator/Staff member for the meeting
c. An email to TEDA Board (txeda.org) regarding the attendees and substance of the meeting.

To find out your representatives visit Texas Legislature Online

For additional information contact Georgene Moon, or Lori Harris, Governmental Relations Chairs

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Federal Legislation:
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 www.nochildleftbehind.gov
Office of Special Education Programs www.ed.gov./offices/OSERS/OSEP
President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education
www.ed.gov/inits/commissionsboards/whspecialeducation

State Resources:
To help keep up with state special education changes, join the TEA special education listserv www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed

The Child Centered Legal Framework
is another resource on line to help you keep up with current legal information related to the Commissioner’s Rules, state regulations and the District Effectiveness and Compliance (DEC) Reference Guide.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/forms/

The Educational Code be amended to include educational diagnosticians in the list of school personnel required to hold an appropriate certification.

Things to Remember When Visiting with Legislators