The Office of Civil Rights with the U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance reminding school districts that retaliation against someone who has opposed discriminatory action is a violation of federal law.  The guidance letter clarifies existing law and notes that once a student, parent, teacher, coach, or other individual complains formally or informally to a school about a potential civil rights violation or participates in an OCR investigation or proceeding, the school district is prohibited from retaliating (including intimidation, threatening, coercing, or in any way discriminating against the individual) because of the individual's complaint or participation.  If OCR finds there has been retaliation, they will seek to obtain a resolution designed to ensure the individual who was retaliated against receives redress and that further retaliation is prohibited.  If resolution is not achieved, enforcement action including adjusting financial assistance available from the Department of Education or judicial proceedings may be taken.  The guidance also provides examples of the types of action that OCR may require school districts to take to ensure compliance in the future.

The guidance letter can be found at: 

 http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201304.html.  
Questions about this guidance should be addressed to the Kansas City Regional Office for OCR at U.S. Department of Education, 8930 Ward Parkway, Suite 2037, Kansas City, MO 64114-3302, Telephone: (816) 268-0550, Facsimile: (816) 268-0599 or email OCR.KansasCity@ed.gov.  

Source: Dr. Stephen Barr, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Special Education, DESE 

There are a variety of actions that youth can take to promote their personal growth and develop personal and leadership skills needed in today's workplace.  In conjunction with the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, NCWD/Youth has developed a series of Youth in Action! Tip Sheets identifying some activities that can help youth learn and think about important transition issues including: Becoming a Stronger Self-Advocate; Leading Your Transition Planning; Learning Disability History; Getting Involved in Volunteering; Serving on Decision-Making Boards; and Participating in Internships and Work-Based Experiences. While these tip sheets are designed for youth to read and use, they are also helpful tools for family members, educators, and youth service professionals to use in discussions with youth. See a list of all the Youth in Action! Tip Sheets on NCWD/Youth's Youth Development webpage under Publications. 

"We as parents spend a lot of time advocating for our children when they are young. However, there comes a time when our children become older and they have to learn how to advocate for themselves; knowing when the time is right will depend on your child. If your child is still attending elementary school, they are most likely NOT mature enough to participate. For those of you who have children in middle school, now is the time to think about the prospect of someday having your child attend their own IEP meeting." Read more. . . 
The Importance of Including Your Child in the IEP Meeting is cross posted from NICHCY's Blog page  

Searching for new parenting resources? Looking for fun, safe activities for kids? Kids.gov is the U.S. government's official website for children, parents, and teachers. Recently updated, the website offers homework help, lesson plans, videos, online games, and more. The site is divided into three sections - grades K to 5, grades 6 to 8, and adults (teachers, parents) - and it provides links to information and services from the federal government, schools, and educational organizations all geared to the learning level and interests of children.  Check it out

School readiness and school success for children who are dual language learners are tied directly to mastery of their home language. This series of handouts is designed to provide staff and families with basic information on topics related to children learning two or more languages. They emphasize the benefits of being bilingual, the importance of maintaining home language, and the value of becoming fully bilingual. These easy-to-read resources from the National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness highlight important information that every adult living or working with young dual language learners should know. 

Researchers at the University of Kansas have selected six schools from across the country to serve as models of inclusive education for KU's five-year, $24.5 million K-eighth grade national education initiative called SWIFT (School-wide Integrated Framework for Transformation) funded by U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs in October 2012.

Called knowledge development sites, the schools were selected from a list of 35 from across the nation selected through a rigorous nomination process based on the extent of their inclusionary practices and indicators of high academic achievement on the part of all students, said Wayne Sailor, professor of special education and director of the SWIFT Center.

Representing a cross-section of U.S. schools, including small town and large metropolitan districts, the six knowledge development sites are:

• Camdenton Middle School, grades 7-8, in Camdenton, Mo.
• Fox Prairie Elementary School, grades K-5, in Stoughton, Wis.
• Newberry Elementary School, grades K-4, in Newberry, Fla.
• William Henderson Inclusion School, grades K-5, in Boston (Dorchester).
• Willard Middle School, grades 6-8, in Berkeley, Calif.
• WISH Charter School, grades 6-8, in Los Angeles