2019 January News

Policy News

U.S. DoE’s Initiative to Address the Inappropriate Use of Restraint and Seclusion
Source: https://www.ed.gov

The U.S. Department of Education will launch an initiative to address the possible inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in schools. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), in collaboration with the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), will oversee this proactive approach to protect students with disabilities and provide technical assistance to schools, districts, and state education agencies. This initiative is expected to help schools and districts not only understand how federal law applies to the use of restraint and seclusion, but also provide resources and information on the appropriate use of interventions and supports to address the behavioral needs of students with disabilities.

Read more:
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-metro-disabled-kids-get-seats-at-accessible-schools-20181206-story.html

Want a charter school application? If your child has a disability, your questions more likely to be ignored, study finds
Source: https://www.chalkbeat.org

In a sweeping national “mystery shopper” experiment, researchers posing as parents sent emails to thousands of schools asking how to apply for admission. Some messages said their child had a disability. Others said their child sometimes had trouble behaving in class, or struggled with academics. Researchers sent the emails to nearly 6,500 schools in 29 states and Washington, D.C. Many had basic messages like, “I am searching for schools for my daughter. Can anyone apply to your school? If so, can you tell me how to apply?” Other emails implied that the student had a significant disability.

When the emails included no additional details, schools responded 53 percent of the time. But schools overall were 7 percentage points less likely to respond to messages referencing behavior problems, 5 percentage points less likely to respond to messages mentioning a significant disability, and 2 percentage points less likely to respond to Hispanic-sounding names. Charter schools in particular were less likely to respond to the messages mentioning a disability than to the standard messages — 7 percentage points less likely. Schools the researchers identified as “no excuses” charters were 10 percent less likely to respond to emails mentioning the disability.

Charter advocates said the study didn’t show that students were kept from enrolling at the schools, but acknowledged communication with prospective families could be improved.

Read more:
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/us/2018/12/21/want-a-charter-school-application-if-your-child-has-a-disability-your-questions-more-likely-to-be-ignored-study-finds/

What’s Up at CIDA

CIDA New Year Party

On December 27th, we held our annual New Year Party where we saw amazing performances (thank you to our amazing performers by the way!), ate delicious food, showed off our dance moves, and celebrated the CIDA’s achievements of 2018 and what we as a team aim to achieve in 2019. Thank you to all those who came out to enjoy this wonderful celebration!

Sibling Net Launches

CIDA has initiated a sibling support program, the Sibling Net. The Sibling Net Program is a family support program focusing on the needs of Korean-American youths and adults who have brothers and sisters with special health problems, developmental disabilities, or mental health concerns. The Sibling Net Program provides culturally responsive assistance to these Korean-American youths and adults with information and resources concerning their brothers or sisters with disabilities, social support for themselves, and early involvement in future planning. Sibling Net is funded by the Nanum Foundation Community Grant. The quarterly meeting schedule and the Sibling Net Summit will be announced under Family Support Group in the Events Page.

CIDA Events & Registration

Please click here for upcoming events and training information:
https://cidainfo.com/news-events/