|
Since many of ASHA's school-based members will be leaving soon for summer vacations, we wanted to inform you that the long-anticipated published proposed rules for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will be released shortly. An "unofficial" copy of the proposed regulations is now available on the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services' (OSERS) Web site. This unofficial copy has been made available so that the public has as much time as possible to review the proposed rules.
The official copy of the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) is scheduled be published in the Federal Register within the next few days. The public will have 75 days from the Federal Register publication date to provide comments to the U.S. Department of Education (ED). If the proposed rules are released in the next week, the public comment period will end on or around September 4, 2005. The proposed regulations include, among others things, the following content areas that are of interest to ASHA members:
- Personnel Qualifications
- Specific Learning Disabilities
- English Language Learners (ELL)
A team of ASHA members and national office staff is currently conducting a thorough analysis of the proposed regulations. You're urged to check back on ASHA's IDEA Information Center at over the next few months for further updates, including the analysis of the proposed regulations, talking points, a sample message, and instructions for submitting your comments to ED. New information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.
You are strongly encouraged to contact ED with your input on IDEA and the regulations guiding its implementation. Thank you for your interest in, and commitment to, this important issue. For more information, please contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's Director of Education & Regulatory Advocacy, via email at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4159.
|