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Yorktown, NY

Open Letter to Governor Cuomo Urging Him To Sign Bill to Support Disabled Students

OPEN LETTER TO THE HAMLETHUB EDITOR(s) DIRECTED AT
GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO
 
"Dear Governor Cuomo,
 
Assembly bill A8021 needs your signature to support a small number of significantly disabled students in a precarious situation at the end of this school year. As most students look forward to getting back into schools next year, these special education students who turned 21 years old will NOT be permitted to make up this last year that they missed, regardless of regression, missed services, learning loss due to the educational impact of the pandemic, and will never have the opportunity to appropriately finish their public school education, without YOUR signature on A8021 NOW!
 
The negative impacts of COVID-19 are agreed upon across our educational systems, both at the State and Federal levels, and federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act supports students because of this. WE all agree on this!
 
However, students who, by circumstance and D.O.B. lost their last year of school. Signing this bill will permit these students for this limited opportunity. They need this to be a law, or school districts do not have to permit them to return. 
 
I have been working with parents and students around New York State who are in this predicament, who have been advocating all year for this permission with the NYS Senate, Assembly as well as with NYSED. Commissioner Rosa supports this action to have these students return, and has shared recommendations with all NYS superintendents (memo attached). NYSED did this last year too, but it was ignored due to lack of legislative mandate.  Without this bill, the mandate from your office, her authority in this issue is null. 
 
For students with significant disabilities, the school year (IEP) starts July 1. These students need you to sign this now, to make it clear to all NYS school districts that they may permit 21 year old special education  students to continue for the 2021-2022 school year. No more, no less. 
 
Assembly bill A8021 will ensure that my child’s school district makes an individual assessment of the education services these students need to compensate for the services not provided and for his/her learning loss.
 
As a long term constituent, I urge you to sign immediately!"
 
Katy Faivre
Family Specialist
AUCD/LEND
Can you help me on my first public policy project? Below is my letter to Governor Cuomo, asking him to sign bill A8021 that I have been working on this year,
"permits school districts"
-to have students over 21 remain in school
-to assess the need for 1 year continued services
-to use federal funding From ARP Act for this purpose 
Please take a minute and email Governor Cuomo to support these students. WE need him to sign this bill NOW, before the school year ends and these kids are signed out of school!
“A network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.”
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Submitted by Yorktown, NY

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