The first of four ISBE public hearings to express concern about proposed rule changes in special education was held last night in Springfield. The great majority of those who provided testimony were opposed to the proposed changes.
The Arc of Illinois is opposed to the proposal by the State Board of Education that would repeal 23 Ill. Adm. Code 226.730. The proposed change would (1) eliminate the 70/30 guideline that defines a general education classroom, and (2) eliminate class size restrictions in special education classrooms.There are still opportunities for you to express your concern! If you want to let ISBE know your thoughts on these proposed changes, please attend one of the following. A webinar is being held today and there are two on-site opportunities scheduled as well. Attendees are asked to sign in and indicate whether they intend to provide testimony. They are called to speak from that sign-in sheet.
Webinar: A webinar will be held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on May 7, 2013. Register for the webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/546720104. Space is limited to 1,000 participants. System requirements for participating in the webinar include the following.
· PC-based attendees: Windows 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server;
· Mac-based attendees: Mac OS X 10.6 or newer; or
· Mobile attendees: iPhone, iPad, Android phone or Android tablet.
For those without internet access, a separate special education call-in number for “voice only” participation: (888) 494-4032, access code 2054427113. A participant will not need to use this telephone number if he or she is connected to the webinar by computer. On-site hearings
· Carbondale: 6-9 p.m., May 8, 2013, SIU – Carbondale Student Center, 1255 Lincoln Drive, Ballroom C
· Elgin: 6-9 p.m., May 9, 2013, Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive E 125, Seigle Auditorium.
Deb Fornoff
Tony Paulauski Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@www.thearcofil.org
