Next Taos-area Special Education Meeting Set for August 8, 2010

(Taos, NM) -- Parents of students receiving Special Education services are invited to participate in the second Taos-area Special Education Community Meeting to be held Sunday, August 8, 2010 at the Taos Youth and Family Center in Taos, NM. Parents can access resources to help them understand their rights and responsibilities under the federal IDEA regulations and can learn what services are available for their students with special needs. The Community Meeting will include special workshop for parents seeking help with their child’s special education process.

Guest advocate Kendra Morrison, Special Education Project Coordinator with Parents Reaching Out (PRO), will lead the workshop “Record-keeping and Documentation for your Child’s Success.” The workshop explains accurate and complete educational record-keeping, and teaches parents easy techniques to document their child’s services and interventions. It is the first workshop training for parents in a series available to the community.

Taos parent and advocate Heather Rowley appreciates the opportunity to participate in PRO’s parent workshops. “I’m grateful because Kendra teaches me how to be effective in securing the services my son needs in school.” She adds “our kids deserve to be successful in school so we have to make sure they get what they need.”

Special education issues, especially districts’ failure to identify and evaluate children who qualify for services, are receiving media coverage in NM. Local concerns in the Taos area are increasing and the best efforts of advocates and attorneys have not produced results at their District level. According to Rowley, “even though our advocates are giving heart and soul, there simply aren’t enough of them to help us all – so as parents we have to learn how we can advocate for our kids and add our strength to the cause.” She smiles “if enough of us learn our rights, they’ll have to listen.”

According to the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED), New Mexico’s 89 public school districts served 39,197 special education identified students (K-12) during the 2009-10 school year. Advocacy organizations such as PRO and NM Family Network employ approximately 14 advocates for statewide services, such as attending Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings with parents. Four child disability rights attorneys practice in New Mexico. Parents in New Mexico can, and must, be part of the team of professionals working state-wide to secure rights and services for special needs children. Taos-area parents now have access to the resources and training they need to advocate in the schools, beginning with the August 8th workshop.

For more information, please contact:

Heather Rowley, President
Rowley Enterprises, Inc.
PO Box 21564
Albuquerque, NM 87154
(575) 770-1218
rowleyenterprises.vpweb.com
nmspedresources@live.com
heather_rowley@hotmail.com

Kendra Morrison, Special Education Project Coordinator
Parents Reaching Out
1920 B Columbia Dr. SE
Albuquerque, NM, 87106
(505) 247-0192
(800) 524-5176
kmorrison@parentsreachingout.org
www.parentsreachingout.org

Contact Information

Heather Rowley

President

Rowley Enterprises, Inc.

Contact via E-mail