***Announcement of Public Meeting*** Topic: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [The US Senate is considering amendments to I.D.E.A.]
Monday July 22, 2002 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM 3rd floor Assembly Room 807 NE Broadway (MPS central office building) Sponsor: The Special Education Advisory Council for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Also, there will a short point about the CFL's "Proposed Expedited Permanent Rules Relating To Variances." The Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning (CFL) will be forced to conduct a full public hearing on this matter if it receives 100 letters opposed to the proposed rules by July 24. It should be noted that CFL hasn't gone to any trouble to inform interested persons about its proposed rules related to variances [from special education laws]. For example, there is nothing about it at the CFL web site. If you favor a full public hearing on this matter, please send a letter to the CFL [see sample below] and bring letters signed by family, friends, and others to the S.E.A.C. meeting on Monday, July 24. Please provide all information called for at the bottom of the sample letter. And don't be surprised if you get a call from CFL asking you to withdraw your letter. -Doug Mann, King Field, the new 8th ward Candidate for Minneapolis School Board http://educationright.tripod.com *********************************************************************** Kristin Asche, Division of Accountability and Compliance Department of Children, Families, & Learning 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN 55113 Re: Department of Children, Families and Learning Proposed Expedited Permanent Rules Relating To Variances 3500.0400 Variance We disagree with CFL proposed expedited permanent State Special Education Rules relating to variances for the following reasons: 1. If a school district requests a variance under the proposed new rules, and the CFL commissioner approves it, citizens who oppose the decision of the commissioner have no recourse except to submit written arguments against it to...the CFL commissioner. This is like having a fox guard the chicken coop. This appeal process is also unfair because the commissioner can easily change the rationale for a decision in response to arguments against it. 2.CFL will require no public input and no public process for the renewal of an approved variance through the school district's school board, Special Education Advisory Committee or site based councils. With compulsory education, public input and oversight is vital. 3. CFL has set no time limits on the provisions which authorize the CFL commissioner to approve requests for rule variances, and does not require the commissioner to set time limits on the variances granted. There is also no trigger that a citizen/entity can use to override a rule variance after it has been approved by CFL. Name Street, City, State, Zip Code Telephone number Signature Date Signed _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
