On March 23, 2023, the Wicomico County Board of Education voted to send a letter of support for Senate Bill 926 to the Senators of the Maryland General Assembly. After At-Large board member Kristin Hazel made a motion before the board, four board members voted in support of the special education bill to help disabled children and their families: Kristin Hazel (At-Large), Susan Beauchamp (District 3), David Plotts (District 4) and John Palmer (District 5).
Those who opposed the bill were Bonnie Ennis (At-Large), Vice Chair Allen Brown (District 1) and board Chair Gene Malone (District 2).
What is SB926 and why is it such a big deal?
SB926 is a statewide bill that was introduced to put protections in place for special needs children and their families. Currently, the burden of proof falls on the parent to prove that their child is not receiving the necessary special education supports. The school system will commonly look for ways to obstruct students with disabilities from receiving a Free and Appropriate Education by making excuses, withholding needed services, downplaying a disability, or denying that a disability exists despite any diagnosis by specialized physicians. This systematic scheme has been an abusive burden for many years, costing families thousands of dollars in legal fees.
If the bill passes, it would establish a Maryland law of due process rights for the parents and their disabled child by instead placing the burden of proof onto the school system. As a result, the school must prove they are meeting the special educational needs of the disabled child under the federal law of FAPE and IDEA regardless if the public school system agrees with a child’s medical diagnosis or not.
Why would anyone vote against this? I know for a fact there’s a special needs child at a school in the county that has a good overall reputation, that has not received the special care she needs. Instead of going to recess with the rest of her classmates in order to socialize, which she is capable of, she’s taken out by herself to swing alone, and is often kept separate for the majority of the day, even though she can function in a group setting.
10:47 a.m.,
If this is in fact, true, it would count as seclusion, which is illegal. To those in the BOE who may know of this, it would be wise to advise the parties involved to stop the practice immediately.
Regards,
Paladin
I think Kevin Smith better run for cover b/c ya know ole Bonnie Waldron is gonna leave him holding the bag.
Run Kevin Run!
” Special Needs ? ” We need to go back to institutionalizing aberrations of failed procreation. There’s nothing special about it’s in line with the rejection of the assumed Transgedered ADHD and the bleeding heart liberal new excuse Spectral Autism. I am surprised how many Conservatives have retarded children and embrace this as some sort of Norm.
3:09 pm – You sound like a real class act. In the words of Mark Twain, “Better a man is thought to be a fool than open his mouth and confirm it.”
Please do educate the rest of us on your enlightened viewpoints – we could all use a laugh to start the day.
3:09 – Just what is “Spectral Autism”? Did you mean the autism spectrum? I think it would be wise to at least have the correct information before you shoot your mouth off.