[Local-Maine-Schools] special education regulations

[Lynne's Office]

Hello All:  As I stated awhile ago, I continue to appreciate all of  
the good work this group has done, and will continue doing,  
especially since I have been consumed with working to prevent the DOE  
from passing a set of amended special education regulations that were  
created in secret and never subjected to the administrative  
rulemaking procedure, and which would severely hurt children with  
disabilities.  The Education Committee voted for these terrible  
regulations but also submitted a Minority Report to the legislature,  
which blunts some of the more egregious aspects of the rules.  We in  
the special education community have lobbied long and hard in favor  
of the Minority Report, which was docketed for a vote yesterday.   
However, it was pulled, supposedly because the majority of the votes  
were in favor of the Minority Report.  Apparently it is predicted  
that the DOE will come back today with a lightly amended proposal and  
try to get that passed rather than the Minority Report.  And,  
although we have a rulemaking process in this state, none of these  
regulations went through that process.  I pass this along simply as  
one more example of secret shenanigans on the part of the DOE.
Lynne Williams

Lynne A. Williams, Esq.
13 Albert Meadow
Bar Harbor, ME  04609
266-6327
LWILLIAMSLAW at earthlink.net