House Education
Committee
Representative Kathe
Decker, Chair
HB 2331
Chairperson Decker and
members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide this
testimony to you regarding HB 2331, an act concerning the provision of special
education in
Centers for Independent
Living provide services to people with disabilities of all ages. CILs also
provide assistance to businesses and all other entities in the community to
assist them in offering services to people with disabilities. We advocate at a
state and national level for the rights of all people with disabilities to live
in the communities of their choice.
Our greatest concern with
HB 2331 is that stakeholders were not consulted or educated on this bill and the
changes it makes to the current special education statue in our state. Centers for Independent Living receive many
phone calls from parents that are very frustrated with the special education
system, and often it is due to the lack of communication between schools and
families. This legislation could be the
same situation with lack of communication between KSDE and stakeholders. We would like to see the Department convene a
stakeholders meeting to avoid this frustrating situation. We believe that this group should include
transition age students with disabilities, parents, State Department of
Education staff, teachers, and advocacy groups.
This group would be able to look at the changes that are needed in the
current statue and understand why those changes need to happen.
We have been fortunate in
KACIL would ask for this
committee’s consideration to hold this bill until the Kansas State Department
of Education has held a meeting with key stakeholders concerning the changes
this bill would have for students in Kansas that qualify for special
education.
Thank you for your time
KACIL Governmental Affairs
Committee
Independence, Inc.
(785)841-0333