latest news

The state is preparing to implement a clause in its charter school law that requires the schools to serve their fair share of high-needs students, including proporational rates of students with disabilities. See Rachel Cromidas' piece in Gotham Schools.

Some groups are urging caution as the City's special education reform moves forward. See Phillisa Cramer's piece in Gotham Schools.

Posted 5/16/12

Additional high schools, including several highly coveted ones, will be exempted next year from meeting their special education targets under the reform. See Meredith Kolodner's piece on Inside Schools, "Elite & audition schools get special ed pass."

NYC will be adding special education teachers to their roster next year. See The Wall Street Journal for details.

Posted 5/3/12

At a City Council hearing advocates testified about the overuse of 911 for handling discipline concerns in schools. See Gotham Schools, the Daily News, and SchoolBook.

Yoav Gonen writes in the New York Post that the UFT and some principals are worried about funding for students with disabilities.

Posted 5/2/12

See Bryan Stromer's excellent piece on SchoolBook, "Why should a disability limit high school choice?"

Read Yoav Gonen's piece in the NY Post, "State English Tests Dissed Deaf Students."

Posted 4/23/12

To learn about the state's current proposals on graduation requirements for students with disabilities see Anna Phillip on the New York Times' SchoolBook.

Posted 4/20/12

Changes to state tests hit many students with disabilities twice as hard. See Jessica Campbell's piece in Gotham Schools.

Posted 4/19/12

Laura Rodriguez, the DOE's Deputy Chancellor who leads the Division of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners, will be retiring at the end of the school year. See Gotham Schools and SchoolBook.

Posted 4/1/7/12

Read Micheal Winerip's "Keeping Students' Mental Health Care Out of the E.R."

Posted 4/9/12

To read about the DOE's Parent Information Sessions on their special education reform see "Acquainting parents with new special ed plans," on SchoolBook.

See Marni Goltsman’s blog entry on Inside Schools, “Why exclude special education students?”

Posted 4/5/12

Tension is building in school communities over the special education reforms. Read Merdith Kolodner's article, "Parents fight to keep out special ed kids." in Inside Schools.

Posted 3/30/12

Small schools that have opened to replace larger closing schools serve fewer students with with special education needs. For a thoughtful analysis of available data see Jackie Bennet's piece in Edwize.

Posted 3/28/12

The city is planning to move a program for students with disabilities now located in East New York and several parents say their children are being left behind either because there is insufficient room at the new location or because travel time will make the new site unfeasible. See the story in the Daily News.

Posted 3/22/12

Read "Will overcrowding undermine special education reform?" in Inside Schools.

Posted 3/14/12

See Inside Schools' for news on the application process to kindergarten for students with disabilities, "Special Needs Children Need Not Apply."

Posted 2/22/12

The City's top middle schools are also being told to serve greater numbers of students with disabilities under the special education reform. See Meredith Kolodner's piece in Inside Schools.

Posted 2/15/12

More recommended reading -- Beth Fertig's piece on SchoolBook, "Do High-Needs Students Affect a School's Grade?"

Posted 2/14/12

See DNAinfo for a piece on parents' concerns as the special education reform continues to roll-out and a related guide to kindergarten admissions for parents of students with disabilities.

Posted 2/13/12

The Independent Budget Office has released data analysis of student populations at the schools NYC plans to close showing a high concentration of students with disabilties, English Langauge Learners, and students who are overage for thier grades. See the report itself here and a Gotham Schools piece.

Posted 2/9/12

Recommended reading -- "From a School Facing Turnaround, a Tale of Academic Perseverance" in Gotham Schools.

Posted 2/7/12

For an interesting piece on service dogs and children with disabilities see the New York Times Magazine's article, "Wonder Dog".

Posted 2/6/12

Parents, advocates (including the ARISE Coalition), and several of the NYC mayoral candidates held a press conference to discuss the implications of school closure policies on at-risk students, including students with disabilities. See Gotham Schools, School Book, and the Daily News.

Posted 2/2/12

Next fall the DOE will require NYC's screened and selective high schools to admit greater numbers of students with IEPs. Read more in Ben Chapman's Daily News piece.

Posted 1/30/12

Read Comptroller John Liu's "Audit Report on the Procurement of Direct Student Services by the Department of Education."

Posted 1/27/12

See Gotham Schools and SchoolBook for information about Governor Cuomo's budget proposals as they relate to preschool special education and early intervention services.

Posted 1/18/12

See Pam Wheaton's piece on Inside Schools, "Walcott okays roll-out of special ed reform."

Posted 12/7/11

See Principal Phil Weinberg's piece on SchoolBook about "The Failed Potential of the Progress Reports" and his concern that the reports create a disincentive for schools to work with students most at-risk or for schools to work collaboratively and share best-practices.

Posted 11/30/11

To read about DOE contracts with private companies and a discussion on SESIS see Adrienne Day's "10 Percent Wrong" in City Limits.

Posted 11/29/11

See Jillian Jonas' piece in Gotham Gazette on how "Barriers Keep Many Disabled New Yorkers Trapped in Poverty."

Posted 11/15/11

Mandate relief proposals from SED to the State Regents were approved - with a big change - the proposal to eliminate the school psychologist at many IEP meetings was taken off the table. See Gotham Schools.

Posted 11/15/11

For an interesting piece on the special education reform and the need for some students to remain in self-contained settings see Beth Fertig's piece, For Some Special Ed Students, Inclusion is Deferred.

Posted 11/10/11

Stuggling with Special Education Charter Schools Join Together. See Gotham Schools.

Posted 11/7/11

NYC's high school progress reports will now award extra credit to schools that move students with disabilities to less-restrictive environments. See Gotham Schools.

Posted 10/25/11

To read about Chancellor Walcott's statements on SESIS, see Gotham Schools.

Posted 10/20/11

The UFT has concerns about NYC's new Special Education Student Information System read here.

Posted 10/15/11

NYC charter schools serve lower percentages of students with disabilities and English Langauge Learners than community schools. See the Daily News.

Posted 8/24/11

Inside Schools posts information about busing questions for students with disabilities.

Posted 8/12/11

Parents need a voice in teacher evaluation. See NYC Public School Parents Blog.

Posted 8/4/11

Students with disabilities were less likely to be included in school-wide activities in the 2010-11 school year than in the prior year. See Ben Chapman's Daily News article.
Posted 7/18/11

For an interesting article on NYC charter schools and students with disabiltiies see the New York Times.

Posted 7/12/11

NYC will increase class sizes for students in Integrated Team Teaching classes. See Daily News.

Posted 5/26/11

Evaluations for students with disabilities necessary to receive special education supports and services are backed up. See Gotham Schools.

John King is the new State Education Commissioner. New York Times and Gotham Schools.

40% of teacher evaluations will be based on test scores. New York Times.

City officials agreed to restart the citywide education council voting process. Gotham Schools.

Posted 5/25/11

Elections for district and citywide parent councils, including the Citywide Council on Special Education, have been extended under criticism that the elections were flawed.   See Gotham Schools.

Posted 5/10/11

Read Marni Goltsman's blog entry, When autism makes 1st grade too hard, on Inside Schools.

Posted 4/21/11

A first grade student at a NYC public school was handcuffed. See the Daily News article here.

Posted 4/21/11

Dennis Walcott begins work as New York City's new Chancellor of Education. See the story on NY1.

Posted 4/21/11

State budget cuts may force several specialized schools for students with disabilities to close. See the Daily News and NY1 for more detail.

Posted 3/4/11

Meredith Kolodner of the New York Daily News reports on the DOE's failure to provide Transition Support Services and to plan for students with disabilities exiting high school. See her article here.

Posted 3/3/11

Data just released by New York State education officials calculates that under 17% of students with disabilities in New York State graduate college and career ready. See the New York Times article for more detail.

Posted 2/8/11

A report released by the New York Civil Liberties Union shows that New York City schools have been overusing suspensions as a disciplinary tool, and students with disabilities have been particularly affected. See here to read the report. See here, here, and here for press coverage.

Posted 1/28/11

New York City’s Independent Budget Office released a report on the schools the Department of Education wants to close next year.   The report shows that those schools have more students with higher needs than others in the system – including students with disabilities.   Read the report here.   See NY 1’s coverage of the report here.  To read a statement from Advocates for Children on the closing schools see here.

Posted 1/27/11

The special education reforms which are being piloted this year in 265 Phase 1 schools will be rolled out to the remainder of all city schools a year later than was originally planned. See the Inside Schools piece here citing a memo from Chancellor Black to principals announcing the plans.

Posted 1/25/11

New York City Board of Education Chancellor Joel Klein has announced his resignation and Mayor Bloomberg has announced his intent to appoint Cathleen Black. See some of the press reports here, here, and here.

The Center for Fiscal Equity released a report, "Diploma Dilemma: Rising Standards, the Regents Diploma, and Schools that Beat the Odds" finding that: NYC high schools with similar students vary dramatically in their ability to help those students graduate, particularly with Regents diplomas; and that students entering high school least likely to graduate have poor eighth grade reading and math skills, limited English proficiency, disabilities, irregular attendance, or are overage. The read the report see here.

Posted 11/10/10

For more press coverage of the start of the school year and students with disabilities see a second article from the Daily News on busing concerns and a piece on accessibility issues in the Daily News as well. See also, the New York Post for an article on access to kindergarten.

Posted 09/27/10

See Meridith Kolodner's article about busing woes for students with disabilities at the start of the 2010-11 school year in New York City.

Posted 09/20/10

Go here to read about the September meeting of the Citywide Council on Special Education on the curent changes in special education in NYC.

Posted 09/20/10

See here for coverage of Save Our Schools, a NYC coalition of parent leaders, parents, activists, and elected officials, and their call for the city to stop relying so heavily on standardized tests.

Posted 09/20/10

To read press coverage on the new New York State standards for proficiency in English and Math, and the results of the annual exams for students in grades three through eight see here and here.

Posted 07/30/10

See Sharon Otterman's New York Times article, "A Struggle to Educate the Severely Disabled" describing the efforts of a family and school to educate a young man with significant disabilities. And see here for Letters to the Editor on the piece. (Posted 06/28/10)

Posted 06/24/10

See Lindsey Christ's piece on NY1, "Special Ed Programs May Face City, State Budget Cuts."

Posted 06/14/10

The number of students receiving special education services in New York City rose considerably this year. See the report on NY1.

Posted 06/01/10

Read about the Celebrate Inclusion event co-sponsored by Parents for Inclusive Education and the Department of Education at Inside Schools and see the report on NY1.

Posted 05/19/10

State records show that NYC's charter schools enroll far fewer of the most severely disabled students than traditional public school. See the Daily News article here for more.

Posted 05/04/10

Jennifer Medina of the New York Times reports on the progression of the special education reforms in New York City. See the article here

Posted 04/29/10

Meredith Kolodner of the New York Daily News reports that students with disabilities are falling victim to the fierce battle to find space for charter schools inside city school buildings.  See the article here

Posted 03/23/10

For an intersting editorial on Civil Rights in Education from the New York Times see here.

Posted 03/16/10

Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio held a town hall meeting for parents of NYC public school students. Raphael Rivas from the Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled spoke up on behalf of students with disabilities. See the coverage from the Park Slope Courier here.

Posted 03/15/10

New York State and New York City released graduation data for the Class of 2009 (2005 cohort). See the State's data here, and the Cit's here. See also press coverage from Gotham Schools, the New York Times, and the New York Post.

Posted 03/10/10

The Federal House of Representatives approved a bill to restrict the use of forcible restraint and seclusion, in which children are held down, drugged or isolated in a locked room to control their behavior. Read about it here.

Posted 03/05/10

See the New York Times article on resources for parents of students with learning disabilities from Saturday, Febraury 27.

Posted 03/01/10

Parents of students with disabilities are extremely concerned about the effect the City’s school closings and program re-locations will have on their children.  To learn more see Maura Walz's pieces and all the related comments on Gotham Schools here and here, and read a statement from Advocates for Children here.

Posted 02/24/10

To see analyses of the Department of Education's plans to reform special education see Gotham Schools, the New York Daily News, the Staten Island Advance, and the New York Post.

Posted 02/04/10

A new study done by Aaron Pallas, a professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College and Jennifer Jennings, an assistant professor at New York University, shows that small high schools, particularly those that have replaced large high schools formerly housed at the same sites, don’t always enroll the neediest students including those with special education needs. See here and here for more information about the study.

Posted 09/23/09

The beginning of the school year got off to a rocky start for some students with disabilities and their families who depend on specialized bus services to get to school on time.    See NY1 reporter Lindsey Whitton Christ’s piece and Rachel Monahan and Meridith Kolodner’s article in the Daily News.

Posted 09/22/09

The New York State Board of Regents voted on July 27, 2009 to elect Dr. David Milton Steiner as New York State Education Commissioner and President of the University of the State of New York.  Read the press release from the Regents here.

Posted 07/28/09

On July 3, Chancellor Klein created a new cabinet level position at the Department of Education.   He appointed Laura Rodriquez as Chief Achievement Officer for Special Education and English Language Learners.   That same day, Garth Harries provided the Chancellor with a memorandum listing recommendations regarding New York City’s special education system. The Chancellor has made those recommendations public and is requesting comment by mid-August.  To view Harries’ recommendations and learn more about Ms. Rodriquez, go to DOE’s press release here. To view the ARISE Coalition response to Mr. Harries' recommendations see here.

Posted 07/13/09

On June 8 the Department of Education made known that Garth Harries, the Senior Coordinator for Special Education, will also be leaving at the end of the month to become an Assistant Superintendent of Public Schools in New Haven Connecticut. See the DOE's press release here.

Posted 06/08/09

Linda Wernikoff, the Executive Director for Teaching & Learning Special Education Initiatives at the New York City Department of Education, has announced that she is stepping down at the end of the school year. For more information see the Gotham Schools article, “City’s top special ed official will leave at school year’s end.” In addition, Dr. Marcia Lyles, the Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, under whose auspices the Office of Special Education Initiatives operates. Dr. Lyles will be leaving to serve as Superintendent of the Delaware Christina School District. See "City’s top educator has been offered Delaware superintendency", and the DOE's press release for more detail.

Posted 05/20/09

A report released by the Public Advocates office on April 30, 2009 analyzing NYC’s high school graduation and discharge trends from 2000-2007 found that the NYC high school discharge system may be artificially increasing the city’s gradation rate by excluding at-risk students, including those with disabilities, who leave school without diplomas.    The report contains several disturbing findings regarding the discharge of students receiving special education services highlighting the fact that the special education discharge rate for students in self-contained and District 75 classes has increased over the years. The report can be downloaded here.

Posted 04/30/09

The New York City Department of Education has announced another full-scale review of the special education system. Stay tuned for more information on this topic as the DOE plans develop and the advocacy community weighs in.

Posted 01/22/09 by Andrew Tirrell

See Philissa Cramer's series of entries on this issue.

See The New York Teacher for a description of Garth Harries’ appearance before the Citywide Council on Special Education.

Read testimony regarding this issue submitted to the City Council by ARISE Coalition members.

Over the past few months the ARISE Coalition and Parents for Inclusive Education (PIE) have sponsored a series of speak outs for parents and caregivers of students with special needs in each of the New York City boroughs. Parents, caregivers, grandparents, concerned educators, and community activists came in large numbers to the forums. Despite a few positive stories about concerned and dedicated teachers and principals they had met along the way, they also told stories about their children being left out of school-wide activities and programs, and a lack of progress in general. They painted pictures of being treated as 2nd class citizens, experiencing a lack of sensitivity at the school and district levels regarding their children, low expectations for their children, and segregation of youth with special needs from their general education peers. The speakers were convinced that their children were being left behind while the general education population made strides. Thanks to all of you who came and spoke as well as all who came to support others from the communities who we support. We'll be in touch soon about steps in response to the speak-outs.
Posted 01/16/09 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here , here and here to read more about these efforts
The New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief has issued a report to the Governor that includes some recommendations we find troublesome as they pertain to special education. Governor Patterson has not acted yet on the report. No new legislation has been introduced. Please check back on the website for further developments with regard to the report and any advocacy efforts around the recommendations.
Posted 10/29/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the report
New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. calls on the Schools Chancellor to immediately review its transportation policies to end the "confusion and mismanagement."
Posted 10/29/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the press release
Rachel Monahan of the Daily News reports on a DOE attempt to use a copy of an old evaluation to satisfy a parent's request for a new one.
Posted 10/20/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the article
Rachel Monahan of the Daily News reports on continuing special education issues at Bed-Stuy's Frederick Douglass Academy IV.
Posted 10/14/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the article
Meredith Kolodner of the Daily News follows up with a new article regarding special education bus routes.
Posted 9/16/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the article
Elizabeth Green of the New York Sun writes about the shortage of placements for New York students with disabilities.
Posted 9/16/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the article
New York City Public Advocate investigates special education placement shortage.
Posted 9/9/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the article
Meredith Kolodner of the Daily News and Amisha Padnani of the Staten Island Advance write about cuts in special education bus routes.
Posted 8/22/08 by Andrew Tirrell

Click here to read the Daily News article

Click here to read the Staten Island Advance article

The Council on Great City Schools 2008 Report on improving its District 75 programs.
Posted 8/05/08 by Andrew Tirrell

Click here to read the Council's report

Click here to see the ARISE Coalition's letter to Chancellor Klein regarding the report.

 

ARISE Coalition's response posted 9/30/09
Yoav Gonen of the New York Post writes about the DOE's proposal to cut the number of District Family Advocates.
Posted 8/04/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the article
New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum's Report about the Inadequacy of the 311 system for Parents of Children with Special Needs.

Posted 7/08/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the report
Results of ELA and Math Testing of Students with Disabilities Released.
Posted 7/08/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to see the results
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli Issues Report Citing DOE Delays.
Posted 7/07/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Click here to read the report
Chancellor Klein Announces New Special Education Service Delivery Report For All Schools.
Posted 06/17/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Full Article...
Delays for Special Education Middle Schoolers.
Posted 6/16/08 by Andrew Tirrell
Full Article...
 
    

 

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Katie, Age 6

A place for students, parents, educators, and supporters of New York's students to connect and bring meaningful and positive reform to New York's schools.

 

Join the Cause!

Enter your email address in the box below to become one of our community supporters. We'll send you periodic updates of The ARISE Coalition's efforts to compel special education reform and let you know how to make your voice heard. As long as you've entered your email address correctly there's no need to submit more than once.

 

 

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The U.S. Department of Education has issued a publication that outlines principles for educators, parents and other stakeholders to consider when developing or refining policies and procedures to support positive behavioral interventions and avoid the use of restraint and seclusion. The resource is applicable to all students, not just those with disabilities and can be found here.

 

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The NYC Department of Education has created a new site for parents of students with disabilities, "Understanding Special Education in New York City." We urge parents to take a look at it and use it as a resource. At the same time, please let us know if there is information you would like to see added to the DOE's site that would help you as a parent of a student with special education needs. We will pass your suggestions along to the DOE.

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The DOE has created a two page handout for famlies entitled," RAISING THE BAR FOR ALL STUDENTS - New York City's Special Education Reform." Read it to see how they descirbe the special education reform and changes families should expect to see.

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ACTION ALERT: Tell Legislators to Stand Firm and Protect Access to Early Intervention Services in the Final Budget (Posted 3-23-12)

Background: Brain research demonstrates that the stimulation and interaction a child receives during the first five years of life are critical to permanent brain development.  As part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Early Intervention (EI) program provides evaluations and services to infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities and their families.  Early Intervention is cost-effective and helps infants and toddlers at the time when services can make the biggest difference.

Budget Proposal: Governor Cuomo’s 2012-2013 Executive Budget proposal would restructure Early Intervention, linking EI services with health insurance coverage.  While we support the goal of requiring private health insurance companies to contribute to the cost of EI, we are concerned about parts of the proposal.  Among other provisions, the budget proposal would:

While the Assembly and Senate versions of the budget rejected these proposals, Governor Cuomo is still requesting to include the proposals in the final budget.  Budget negotiations are happening now!

TAKE ACTION:
Call or e-mail your state legislators and tell them to stand firm in their opposition to Governor Cuomo’s Early Intervention budget proposals, which would make it harder to access high-quality EI services.  Tell legislators that you were pleased that the Assembly and Senate versions of the budget rejected the proposals to link health insurance coverage and EI services and rejected the proposed restrictions on the evaluators, service coordinators, and service providers available to serve children.  Ask them to ensure that the final budget rejects these harmful provisions.  A sample e-mail is below.

To reach your state legislators, call the Senate switchboard (518-455-2800) and Assembly switchboard (518-455-4100) and give your zip code.  Alternatively, you can find your NY State Senator at http://www.senate.state.ny.us/ and your NY Assembly Member at http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/.  E-mail lists are available at http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?sh=email and http://www.nysenate.gov/report/member-directory-212012.

Key legislators include:
Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried - GottfriedR@assembly.state.ny.us - 518-455-4941
Senate Health Committee Chair Kemp Hannon - hannon@nysenate.gov - 518-455-2200
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver - Speaker@assembly.state.ny.us - 518-455-3791
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos - skelos@nysenate.gov - 518-455-3171

Sample e-mail:
Protect Early Intervention
As a [parent of a child who receives Early Intervention services], I am very concerned about Governor Cuomo’s Early Intervention budget proposals.  First, just as health insurance representatives do not participate in meetings between doctors and patients, health insurance representatives should not be able to participate in IFSP meetings.  Second, I am concerned that the proposal would restrict access to services by requiring evaluators, service coordinators, and service providers to come from different agencies and by requiring the use of in-network evaluators and providers.  Young children should have access to the most appropriate EI providers regardless of the agencies or networks for which they work.  Third, I am concerned that the requirements that providers negotiate their rates with health insurance companies and file appeals of health insurance claim denials will drive experienced providers from the EI field, making it harder for young children to access the services they need.  I was very pleased that the Assembly and Senate budget proposals rejected these harmful provisions.  Please stand firm and ensure that the final budget rejects these proposals and protects access to high-quality EI services.

To read a letter from one of our members, Advocates for Children, regarding this proposal, please go to http://www.advocatesforchildren.org

 

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Two separate sets of meetings run by the Department of Education for parents of students with disabilitieswill be occurring over the next several weeks and the ARISE Coalition strongly urges parents and advocates to attend these meetings and ask any and all questions you have about the process for application and enrollment to kindergarten and about the special education reform.   The DOE needs to hear your concerns.

Remember, as you make your way through this application process and attend your children’s IEP team meetings, there is a host of resources to support you in learning about and understanding your rights in special education available on our resources page.


As always, feel free to share your concerns with us as well.   The more we know about your everyday experiences as you navigate your way through the special education process, the more we can advocate on behalf of change that will benefit all our students with disabilities in NYC. 

(Posted February 15, 2011)

 

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On January 24, 2012, the Comptroller for the City of New York released an "Audit Report on the Procurement of Direct Student Services by the Department of Education."    The report concludes that the New York City Department of Education (DOE), by its own accounting, has failed to provide related services to more than tens of thousands of students with disabilities in New York City. On January 30th, the ARISE Coalition released a statement calling on the DOE to live up to its obligation to provide all supports and services necessary and appropriate to enable students with disabilities to make educational progress, and specifically requesting that the DOE respond publicly to the Comptroller's report with an action plan to address gaps in service delivery. To read the full statement see here.   

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We want to urge all of you to be open to considering new ways to educate our students with special needs, such as more flexible scheduling or increased time in general education classrooms with support as the DOE continues its special education reform efforts. At the same time, we remind you that your rights as parents have not changed:

  1. You have the right to receive a thorough evaluation of your child at the school level and to be provided with a copy of that evaluation five days before your meeting date.   This assures that you have time to read and identify critical points in the evaluations or points about which you seek further explanation.  If you disagree with the DOE evaluations, you have the right to ask the DOE to pay for an independent evaluation of your child.  Alternatively, you may provide the DOE with independent evaluations you have obtained on your own, and have the IEP team consider those evaluations.
  2. All students with disabilities are still entitled to receive all the services on their IEPS.
  3. IEP teams may decide to modify the supports and services an individual student receives, but those modifications must still be based on the strengths and needs of each individual student, not on what the school actually has available.
  4. Your child’s IEP and program should not be changed without an IEP meeting being held that you have been invited to attend. However, there is opportunity for IEP amendments which may be made with parental consent and may be used to sidestep a meeting that is not an annual or triennial review.   For more on that amendment process you can look at the DOE’s Standard Operating Procedures Manual on Special Education which requires the IEP team to clearly describe all proposed changes for you in writing at the time they seek to amend the IEP.  If you receive written notice that your school is recommending a change in IEP services, with regard to related services, and the school requests your consent to do so through amendment and without a meeting, you have the right to insist on an IEP meeting.   If one person in particular seems to be advocating for that reduction make sure you know how other providers working with your child feel.   We strongly recommend that you take the time to talk with all your child’s teachers and providers about proposed changes in services.  If you don’t agree with the amendments recommended discuss them with the full team at an IEP meeting rather than consenting 4in writing and foregoing a meeting.

    *In order to fully participate in your child's IEP meeting, it is important to understand the factors school personnel consider in making service recommendations and helpful to have a vision of all the service delivery methods available.  To see the DOE’s latest guidance on services, you may want to look at their School Based Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Practice Guide, which strongly promotes use of group, integrated (in class) and consultative (collaboration with school staff without direct student contact) models, in contrast to use of direct individual therapy.

  5. While you and the IEP team work on the IEP you have a right to see the text as it is written and altered.
  6. You have the right to know the group size and location for your child’s related services. 
  7. A move to a less restrictive environment without the supports and services needed to make that move successful is not appropriate.   The DOE’s reform is not intended to be and must not become a means to simply reduce children’s special education supports and services.
  8. You continue to have the right to agree or disagree with the suggestions your school makes that could lead to changes to the IEP regarding supports, services, or placement recommendations for your child.   If you’re not comfortable with changes proposed to your child’s plan, you can, and should, say so.  The new IEP includes a place to reflect parental concerns and you have the right to ask that your concerns are included in the document.
  9. You must be provided with a copy of that IEP once it has been completed.
  10. You have the right to take disputes regarding the IEP to mediation or an impartial hearing.

If you want to learn more about your rights as a parent, spend some time reviewing the resources on our Resource page.

We are eager to see special education enriched here in NYC – bettering day-to-day experiences for youth with disabilities and their families and significantly improving long term outcomes for students with IEPs.   We remain eager to hear from you about your experiences with the reform effort.   With your stories, we can make our advocacy on behalf of students with disabilities even stronger.  

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Please be alerted that there is a possibility of a system wide bus strike that could impact your children’s transportation services as early as the afternoon of November 18th.    While a strike will be disruptive to many, there are some additional concerns regarding pre-school and school-age children with IEPs requiring specialized transportation services and we want to make certain you know your options. The DOE is sending information home with students this afternoon laying out some protocols that will be in place throughout the strike.   To learn more about the DOE’s plan or get updates we urge you to go to the DOE’s website call 311. (Posted November 18.2011) 

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The NYC Department of Education has posted information about kindergarten enrollment for families of students with disabilities for the 2012-2013 school-year.   The site links to information about the special education reforms and a copy of their orientation guide for families of students with disabilities entering kindergarten next year.  It lists upcoming orientation meetings to be held in each borough from late November to mid-December to help families understand and begin to navigate the application and IEP processes. For a greater understanding of your rights as a parent of a student with a disability you may also want to take a look at Advocates for Children's Guide to the Transition from Preschool Special Education to Kindergarten

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We have learned that the New York State Regents are expected to discuss mandate relief at their November 14th meeting in Albany. We do not know for sure what will be on the table during that discussion, but we have written to you before about proposed regulatory changes, in the name of mandate relief that were previously before the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and are still floating around and might be addressed. Members of the ARISE Coalition have some concerns about the proposals.  Examples of comments submitted by a few of our members to NYSED and the Regents can be viewed here, here, and here to give you a fuller understanding of those concerns.

We have heard that the Regents want to hear from parents. If you have not yet spoken out on these issues and want to do so, we urge you to reach out to the Regents before this Friday, November 11. Contact information for each of the Regents can be found here.

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Members of the ARISE Coalition met earlier this summer with Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. We wanted to share with you a letter we sent him recently as a follow up to that discussion. It highlights many -- although certainly not all -- of the issues we are working on:

The full letter can be downloaded here.

This is the start of a conversation that will continue over time. As always, if you have system-wide issues regarding special education supports and services in NYC that you feel should be addressed, please let us know.

 

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Inclusive Technology

The ARISE Coalition has been working in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education and the Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project to increase and improve the use of technology to foster inclusion and education of diverse learners in our schools.    We had a kick-off event in June and wanted to share some video from the event with you at this time.   You can watch our keynote speaker David Rose from CAST here and some other highlights of the event here and here .   We will keep you updated as we move forward with our efforts to improve inclusive technologies in our NYC school system.

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ATTENTION PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Albany is considering legislation RIGHT NOW that will make it harder for you to go to a hearing to enforce your rights or obtain additional academic support for your child.
Why should you be concerned?  Two bills before the Senate (S5816 and S5758A) would:

  1. Reduce the amount of time you have to enforce your rights against your school district by cutting the statute of limitations to 180 days for parents who unilaterally place their children in nonpublic school and to one year for everyone else.
  2. Eliminate the right of parents who home school their children or who pay private school tuition to get related services for their child unless they tell the school district that they plan to do this by April 1 of the year beforethey want the services.  
  3. Force parents who home school their children or pay for private school tuition to go through mandatory mediation before they could file a due process hearing.
  4. Allow school districts to cut Academic Intervention Services for students with IEPs. 

Call your legislators (518-455-2800 for your State Senator and 518-455-4100 for your Assembly member) and Governor Cuomo (518-474-8390) IMMEDIATELY and let them know you oppose S5816 and S5758A for these reasons.   Make it clear that none of the special education mandate relief provisions above should be included in any legislation or session-ending deal.

(Posted June 6-23-11)

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In June, the DOE will be holding parent meetings to explain the new IEP forms. See here for meeting information and a brief FAQ.

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ARISE and a number of our members including Advocates for Children of New York, Bronx Independent Living Services, Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled, the Metropolitan Parents Center of Sinergia, Parents for Inclusive Education, the Staten Island Special Education Center of Parent to Parent NY, Inc., and United We Stand co-sponsored a series of speak outs in the 5 boroughs on New York City during April, 2011.   We invited parents and guardians, and others concerned with the education of students with disabilities are receiving to come and share their stories.    Thank you to all of you who were able to make the speak outs and represent not only your own concerns, but those of so many of your peers.   Your voices are critical to our efforts to improve special education here in NYC, and we heard you loud and clear.

What we heard painted a slightly different picture in each of the boroughs, but overall illustrated a system ripe for reform.  There were a few themes that particularly stood out:

We held these speak outs to be sure that when we push for changes here in NYC to improve special education, and to assure more positive day-to-day experiences and outcomes for students with disabilities, we push for the things most meaningful and immediate to our youth with disabilities and their families.    If you weren’t able to make any of the speak outs and have thoughts you’d still like to share, please know that we always are eager for your input!

 

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On May 26, 2011the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance on the legal obligation to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of technology. See here for the press release from OCR, the Dear Colleague letters sent to elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education, and the FAQ on the legal obligation to provide students with disabilities that opportunity.

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On April 3, 2011, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and the ARISE Coalition launched “Students with Disabilities Month.” To mark the occasion, Public Advocate de Blasio announced a new survey intended to give voice to the thousands of parents who fight on a daily basis for the needs of their children with disabilities. The ARISE Coalition will host a series of “speak-outs” for students with disabilities and their parents and guardians (below).

 

Parents and Guardians of Children with Special Needs:
Are you happy with the education your children are receiving?
We want to hear from you.


Join other parents.  SPEAK OUT.  Make your voice heard.

Elected officials and press will be invited to attend.

 

Join us at any of the following locations:

 

BRONX
April 7, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Co-sponsored by the Bronx Independent Living Services

4419 Third Avenue, Suite 2C
Bronx, NY

www.bils.org

 

QUEENS
April 11, 9:00 – 11:00 am

Co-sponsored by Parents for Inclusive Education and Advocates for Children of New York

25-09 Broadway
Astoria, NY

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parents-for-Inclusive-Education-PIE/139569776103532 and www.advocatesforchildren.org

MANHATTAN
April 12, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Co-sponsored by Sinergia

2082 Lexington Avenue, 4th Floor
New York, NY

http://www.sinergiany.org/

 

STATEN ISLAND
April 27, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

          Co-sponsored by Parent to Parent NY, Inc.

1050 Forest Hill Road
Staten Island, NY

siptp@aol.com  

BROOKLYN
April 28, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Co-sponsored by United We Stand and the
Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled

Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY

www.bcid.org and http://www.uwsofny.org/ (ahaught@uwsofny.org)

Spanish translation will be available in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.
Sign language interpretation will be available in the Bronx.


You can also email your stories to arise.coalition@yahoo.com

 

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NEW REPORT FROM THE ARISE COALITION - OUT OF SCHOOL AND UNPREPARED: The Need to Improve Support for Students with Disabilities Transitioning to Adulthood

MARCH 2011

With the release today of a policy paper entitled Out of School and Unprepared:  The Need to Improve Support for Students with Disabilities Transitioning to Adulthood,   the ARISE Coalition kicked off its new, “Next Step” campaign   which aims to improve transition planning for students with disabilities in New York City (NYC).  The group is calling on NYC and New York State to follow the law with respect to transition planning and to give post-secondary transition for students with special education needs the same high priority they are beginning to give college and career readiness for other students.  See here to get a copy of the press release and download a copy of the full report.

 

 

Another round of Turning 5 Orientation Meetings has been scheduled for February and March, 2011.

See here to view the list of dates and locations.

 

The ARISE Coalition Wants Your Input

Happy New Year!

NYC has a new Chancellor of the Department of Education, Cathie Black.   Not surprisingly then, one of the Coalition's goals for this year will be to connect with her and present her with our thoughts and concerns about special education in NYC.    We will continue to push with her, as we did with her predecessor, our Agenda for Change – and, more specifically, our goals of to promote systemic reform to improve special education, enforce greater transparency and accountability of the education system, and  assure more positive outcomes and options for all students.

As always, the ARISE Coalition seeks to provide a voice on behalf of students with disabilities and their families in NYC.   As such, we are writing today to encourage you to get back to us with your own answer to the following question: 

What is the single most important issue related to students with disabilities that you believe we should highlight for the Chancellor this year?

We eagerly await your responses.

 

 

If your child with disabilities will be entering kindergarten next fall please read below

The enrollment process for students with disabilities turning 5 is beginning now.  At the urging of parents and advocates, including a group from the ARISE Coalition, the New York City Department of Education (DOE) has made some major changes to the process this year.   We hope these changes will make what has traditionally been a complicated and stressful process for parents run more smoothly.    We also want to let you know about some great resources you can use to help navigate your way through your child’s transition to kindergarten.

As always, we want to know about your experiences.     We want to know how the process works, and how it doesn’t.    You can reach us at mmoroff@advocatesforchildren.org or by calling (212) 822-9523.

 

The CCSE Meeting on November 18th will include a discussion with the Office of Pupil Transportation.

All are invited to attend. Download the flyer announcing time, place, and agenda.

 

The ARISE Coalition wants to know how the school year is going

Now that we’re a few months into the 2010-2011 school year we wanted to check in with those of you who are parents of NYC public school students who receive special education supports and services.   We want to know how your children’s school year is going.    

There is a lot going on at the Department of Education – one example being the reforms we’ve written about before, and other efforts to build capacity in schools to meet your children’s needs.   We want to know how those efforts play out for real families in the school system.

Please feel free to write us back at mmoroff@advocatesforchildren.org and keep us informed.   As we have said before, when we push the NYC DOE to make improvements with regard to special education, we want to be certain we speak for families with students and students with disabilities in our schools.    We promise not to share any specific, personal information without speaking to you first, so you don’t need to worry about confidentiality.  

As always, thank you for all the valuable information you’ve given us before.

 

S.ave O.ur S.chools

Emergency Educational Action Plan to Address the 2010 Test Score Crisis

The release of the 2010 New York State reading and math test scores was a sobering moment for our city. While many parents, educators and testing experts raised concerns about the validity of the test score increases over the last few years, it was shocking to see their worst fears confirmed. As a result of NYS recalibrating the test scores to align with college-ready standards, citywide reading scores declined by 27 points, math scores went down 28 points, and the racial and income-based achievement gaps have grown. Only 13% of students with disabilities and 14% of English Language Learners scored proficient in English Language Arts (ELA). Tens of thousands of additional students are NOT on the road to college and career success. See here to read more of the statement.

 

Sign the related petition calling for immediate action at the DOE to address the scores and:

 

The New York City Department of Education Division of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners is hosting a series of parent workshops in September and October.

Download the flyer announcing the workshops in Queens on September 20th, Manhattan on September 21st, the Bronx on September 22nd, Staten Island on October 27th, and Brooklyn on October 28th. Registration is required.

 

Update on the NYC DOE's Reform of Special Education

August, 2010

Last February the New York City Department of Education (DOE) announced plans and identified guiding principles for reform to better educate students with disabilities in community schools.   The DOE has been working since then to ready 265 of NYC’s public schools to use more flexible classroom options to support those students, while also working to improve outcomes for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). While the ARISE Coalition is eager to see the DOE improve special education in the City’s schools, we are also watching closely to monitor how this reform plays out in our schools for our students and their families, and to make sure that things are actually improved under the reform.

Who is leading this effort?

The Division of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners at the DOE is spearheading the reform.  

How long will it take for reform to get to all New York City Schools?

The DOE is rolling out the reform over the course of the next two years – with 265 schools participating in the 2010-2011 school year and all the remaining public schools participating in the 2011-2012 school year.

How will I know when changes are coming to my child’s school?

Families of students currently enrolled in the 265 schools should have received at least one communication from the schools’ principals accompanied by a cover letter from Deputy Chancellor Laura Rodriquez notifying them that their schools had been chosen to be part of the new initiative.  

What should I expect to see in my child’s school this fall?

Families with students who have IEPs in one of the 265 schools should expect changes this fall.   In some schools they may be dramatic; in others less so.  

What should not be happening in the name of reform?

The reform should not be used to justify inappropriate cuts in special education services.  You should not see:

What should I do if something goes wrong in the process?


The reform in no way changes the rights you have as a parent under law when your child is getting special education services. 

How do I get help?


To learn more about parents’ rights you may want to carefully study the DOE’s own Parent’s Guide to Special Education Services for School Aged Children or look at our resource page for links to guides and brochures from the advocacy community. You can also work you way up the DOE's own escalation path for more help.

How do I have a voice in making things work better?

We are eager to see special education improved in New York City and better outcomes for youth with disabilities who have been left behind repeatedly as the rest of the system progresses.   We want to hear from you as the year unfolds; especially those of you in the 265 Phase 1 schools.  We want to know how things change in your school, assuming they do change with regard to the delivery of special education supports and services.    We want to know when the reform succeeds in making your school more welcome to students with disabilities and their families and when it does not succeed.     We want to know how your children fare under the reform.  With your stories we can make our advocacy efforts on behalf of students with disabilities even stronger.  To share your experiences please email us at mmoroff@advocatesforchildren.org.  

 

To read the information above in Spanish see here.

To read the DOE's FAQ about Changes to Special Education see here.

 

New York State Releases New Proficiency Standards for all students and results from this year on Math and English Lanague Arts (ELA) exams for students in grades three through eight.

July, 2010

Determining that results of their proficiency testing in ELA and Math for third through eighth graders have been inflated, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has recalibrated the way it determines results. Consequently results reported this year are especially alarming. While only 53% of general students were proficient in English in 2010, an even more alarming 15% of students with disabilities were considered proficient in English. In math, 61% of general education students were considered proficient as compared to only 25% of students with disabilities. To read NYSED's presentation on the new proficiency standards see here. Go here to see the City's data.

 

REPORT: Students with Interrupted Formal Education: A Challenge for the New York City Public Schools. May, 2010

Advocates for Children has released a report examining data on Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) and profiling twelve immigrant students who should have been identified as SIFE by their schools.  While few of the students were identified as SIFE, half were identified as having special education needs.  The report questions whether students are being inappropriately identified as having disabilities.    The report also looks at the overlap of SIFE and students identified as having special education needs, and concludes that, “For those SIFE who have disabilities requiring special education services, the DOE’s current approach seems to be to serve these students primarily through the special education system rather than through a coordinated response with integrated services.”   Recommendations in the report that relate to the overlap of the populations include:

The NYC Department of Education Has Posted a New "Parent's Guide to Special Education Services for School-Age Children"

See here to download a copy.

 

The ARISE Coalition Releases a Statement on the City's Graduation Rates for the Class of 2009

Last week, the New York State Education Department and the New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE) released graduation rates for the class of 2009.  New York City quickly celebrated the improvements on behalf of students in general education.    The data regarding graduation rates for students with disabilities was, however, nothing to be proud of.  Buried at the end of the statistics and the DOE’s press package was the deeply disturbing fact that only 1 in 4 students with disabilities in the class of 2009 graduated within 4 years.  

In a statement released on March 19, 2010 the ARISE Coalition calls for accountability and responsibility of all NYC schools, districts, School Support Organizations, Children First Networks, and the Central DOE administration for improving graduation rates for the overwhelming majority of NYC’s students with disabilities who for far too long have been left behind. See here to read the full statement.

 

 

The ARISE Coalition releases a response statement to the DOE's plans for reforming special education in NYC.

 

On Monday, February 1, 2010, the New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE) released an outline of their proposals for improving special education services in NYC.  Their plan set out five guiding principles to foster education, inclusion, and respect for students with disabilities and their families – all things the ARISE Coalition has called for repeatedly.  To the extent that the DOE’s guiding principles indicate the removal of roadblocks to quality supports and services for youth with disabilities, we applaud the DOE’s new stance.  However, the Coalition has some grave concerns that the DOE’s plan is short on both detail and accountability. See here for the full statement.

For a take on the DOE's plans from the UFT, an ARISE Coalition member, see here.

 

On February 1, 2010 the Chancellor and Chief Achievement Officer Announced New York City Department of Education's Implementation Plan for the Reform of Special Education: A Two-Year Phase-in Process Focusing on the Advancement of Student Learning and Achievement.

 

See here to view thier plan. See here to view the list of Phase 1 schools.

 

The ARISE Coalition has released a statement in anticipation of the Chancellor and Chief Achievement Officer’s plan for improving achievement and educational opportunities for New York City’s children with disabilities.   

 

Outcomes for students with special education needs in NYC are abysmal:  19% graduate in four years; and less than 5% of those youth who receive their services in self-contained, or segregated classrooms graduate at all.   Another re-organization of the Department of Education (DOE) is upon us (see the Gotham Schools piece on 1-21).  Some of it will be very specific to special education.  To make a significant difference in outcomes and experiences for students with disabilities and their families here in NYC some very specific things must change.   The DOE must immediately:

Success of any reform to special education will require strong leadership and a full commitment from the Department: from the Chancellor’s office, the Chief Achievement Office of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners (CAO), all Central DOE offices, the districts, the expanding Children First Networks, and each and every one of the City’s 1,400 public schools. Working on behalf of our students, with or without disabilities, every staff person, led by a well informed and committed principal, must be part of a unified effort to bring about long-lasting, systemic reform.    See here for the full statement.

 

 

HOW TO GET HELP FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IF YOUR CHILD HAS SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS

Last July Chancellor Klein of the New York City Department of Education announced the creation of a new cabinet level position at the DOE dedicated to improving outcomes for NYC’s students with disabilities and English Language Learners.  That office now manages the Office of Special Education Initiatives, the Department of Education’s District 75, and the Office of English Language Learners (ELLs) – all of which previously operated in fairly separate realms.  Parents and advocates who have difficulty arranging special education supports and services for students with disabilities can now turn to the Chief Acheivement Office for help once they’ve gone up the ladder and sought help at various levels – from their child’s school upward – without success.    Below is a chart with links showing you how to climb that ladder.

 

CONTRACTS FOR EXCELLENCE

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) recently released their proposals for spending 2009-2010 Contracts for Excellence money from New York State. Click here to view the ARISE Coalition’s comments on the plan, submitted to the DOE on October 8th, arguing that the DOE’s proposal for spending the funds failed to include, or even consider, a substantial percentage of New York City's students with the most profound disabilities.

 

DOE SPECIAL EDUCATION REORGANIZATION

On July 3, 2009 Chancellor Klein created a new cabinet level position at the DOE. He appointed Laura Rodriguez as Chief Achivement Officer for Special Education and English Language Learners. That same day Garth Harries provided the Chacellor with a memorandum listing recommendations regarding New York City's special education system. On August 13th, the ARISE Coalition wrote to Chancellor Klein providing detailed comments on Garth Harries’ recommendations regarding NYC’s special education system submitted in July.  See here to download a copy of the ARISE Coalition's response to Chancellor Klein.

 

REPORT FROM THE ARISE COALITION - EDUCATE! INCLUDE! RESPECT! - April 2009

 

cover

The past seven years of education reform have not significantly improved outcomes, experiences or services for New York City’s160,000 public school students with disabilities, according to Educate! Include! Respect!  a report issued April 23, 2009 by the ARISE Coalition.  The report is a review of the reform initiatives and performance data as well as the experiences of parents under the leadership of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein.  It describes how Mayor Bloomberg’s Children First reforms have left students with disabilities out and calls for the Department of Education (DOE) to focus on specific reform priorities. Click here to see the full press release and download a copy of the report

 

 

 

 

HELP FOR IMMIGRANT PARENTS OF STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and Advocates for Children of New York, both members of the ARISE Coalition, are working to assist immigrant parents of students receiving special education services.   Parents whose primary language is not English have the right to receive translation and interpretation services from the DOE.  Form request letters and fact sheets intended to aid parents who are not fluent in English to participate in planning their children’s special education program can be downloaded here and here.    All documents are available in Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.