• CEC Senior Director for Public Policy Assumes Leadership Position in National Education Funding Coalition
  
• Judge Dismisses NCLB Lawsuit, NEA Pledges to Appeal
  
• NCLB, IDEA Fact Sheets For Parents Serve as Useful Resource
• EPA Seeks to Weaken Regulations on Pesticide Testing on Children
  

EPA Seeks to Weaken Regulations on Pesticide Testing on Children
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed regulations that would weaken ethical standards in the testing of pesticides on children. The proposed regulations contain loopholes, including one that specifically targets abused and neglected children, which would apply to EPA supported toxic experiments. CEC is appalled by EPA’s proposal and has submitted a formal response to these proposed regulations. Visit CEC’s Legislative Action Center to send a letter to the EPA prior to the December 12 deadline for submitting comments.

Recently the EPA has come under public and Congressional scrutiny for proposing a controversial study titled Children's Health Environmental Exposure Research Study (CHEERS) that sought to test the effects of household pesticides on infants. To attract participants, the EPA distributed a flyer in low-income areas in Florida (paid for by the American Chemistry Council) offering $970 and a free camcorder (among other items) in exchange for a two-year commitment to monitor the effects of household pesticides on infants. Due to intense public outcry, and threats by Senators Boxer (D-CA) and Nelson (D-FL) to block Stephen Johnson’s nomination as EPA Administrator, this study was cancelled on April 8, 2005. (EPA cancellation notification: http://www.epa.gov/cheers/).

Tell the EPA You Oppose Weakening Ethical Standards for Children!

CEC Senior Director for Public Policy Assumes Leadership Position in National Education Funding Coalition
On December 2, Dan Blair, CEC Senior Director for Public Policy, was elected to the Executive Committee of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF). CEF and its over 100 member organizations have worked toward the common goal of achieving adequate federal support for our nation's education system. Nonpartisan and nonprofit, CEF is America's largest education coalition, reflecting the broad spectrum of the education community.

“I look forward to giving the special education and gifted communities a voice on the CEF Executive Committee,” Blair stated.

CEC is a longtime member of CEF and looks forward to working with other member organizations to advocate for increased funding for education programs, such as IDEA and the Javits program for students with gifts and talents.

Judge Dismisses NCLB Lawsuit, NEA Pledges to Appeal
On November 23, a federal judge in Michigan dismissed the first lawsuit filed to prevent No Child Left Behind (NCLB) from imposing “unfunded mandates” on states and school districts.

The case was filed by the National Education Association (NEA) and nine school districts, who charged the Department of Education violated a provision in NCLB which states, “Nothing in this Act [i.e., the NCLB] shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the Federal government to... mandate a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this Act.”

NEA has pledged to appeal this decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Read NEA's Press Release

Read Secretary Spellings' Statement

NCLB, IDEA Fact Sheets For Parents Serve as Useful Resource
The National Center for Learning Disabilities has developed three Parent Advocacy Briefs aimed at helping parents navigate their way through IDEA, NCLB.

-- Making the Most of Options for IDEA-eligible Students provides an overview of the school choice and supplemental educational services opportunities that might be available to students, and highlights important points for consideration and questions to ask.

-- Determining Appropriate Assessment Accommodations for Students with Disabilities provides an overview of appropriate accommodations for students with IEPs or 504 Plans, serves as a guide to choosing accommodations and suggests questions to ask when making appropriate accommodation decisions.

-- Understanding Assessment Options for IDEA-eligible Students provides an overview of the ways students with IEPs can participate in statewide tests required by NCLB, helps guide parents as the IEP team chooses the right types of assessments and offers questions to ask about the testing options.

Go to http://www.ld.org/NCLB/NCLB.cfm