Letter to Parents

Dear Parents,

Welcome to another school year! I am Heather Davis, and I am so excited to teach your children social studies this year. With the start of a new year, I am very excited to have each one of your children in my classroom. We are fortunate enough to have a very diverse population of students this year, some of those with special learning needs. I am writing you this letter to make you aware of some of the legislation in place to protect the learning needs of each of your children, and to assure you of the equality and fairness in our classroom. A number of teachers in our district have worked together, and this letter is the result of our collaborative research and efforts.

Our government has passed three major pieces of legislation that all parents should be aware of. The first is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This act provides special services to children all over the nation, and assures that each state follows specific regulations and guidelines to ensure every child receives a fair education. My fellow teacher, Jia Acree, agrees with me on the importance of making sure every child gets a fair chance. In the past, that was not always the case, but with this act, more children then ever are able to have a fair classroom environment. Another teacher, Jessica Burns, has done some research on this topic, and she said that up until the 1970's, many children with disabilities were not allowed in the classroom. We are happy to inform you that your children will be treated fairly and will receive an equal education opportunity.

Another important piece of legislation is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and it was signed in to law in 1990. The research of Crystal Fronk says that the primary function of this act is to prevent the discrimination of people with disabilities. This act does not only prevent discrimination in schools, but also by employers, state and local governments, and at public facilities and telecommunications. This has an impact on education because it will never allow your student to be discriminated against. Another teacher, Rylee McClellan, states that a person with a disability who is just as qualified as someone without, then the person with the disability will have an equal chance to succeed. As parents, you can rest assured that laws are in place to protect the education of every one of your students. As Will Wardwell puts it, the ADA is "ambitious in its scope and, for many Americans, life-changing."

One other important act is the Assistive Technology Act, originally passed in 1998, and amended in 2004. The ATA specifically deals with the use of technology, and assures that those with special needs receive the training and tools they need to succeed. This reaches the classroom as well. According to Janelle Ottersberg, Congress acknowledged that the use of technology has "come to play an important role in the lives of U.S. citizens." For this reason, states need to have available funding to help make this goal a reality. Fellow teacher Tanya Rush adds that this act "increases the overall knowledge and advances in technology and helps enable people with disabilities to advance in the technical world." What this means for you as parents is that your children will have the technology resources they need to succeed in my classroom this year. This act reaches every single state, and as Jocelyn Stearns points out, each state receives the necessary funding to distribute to all those who fall in need of the Act's provisions.

This year in our classroom, we will do everything we can to ensure each child receives an equal opportunity for the best education possible. As educators, we look forward to teaching every one of your students, and helping them feel engaged and excited to learn. Thank you so much for your continued support, and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about any of the aforementioned material.

Please see the following websites if you would like more information on any one of these pieces of legislation.

Assistive Technology Act: http://www.fctd.info/resources/ATlaws_print.pdf
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act http://idea.ed.gov
Americans with Disabilities Act http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/)


Thank you for your time, and I hope you all enjoy the year as much as I will!!
Heather L. Davis

References Teacher Research Websites
http://jiamarieacree.blogspot.com/
http://cfdraw.blogspot.com/
http://heatherdavis202edtech.blogspot.com/
http://jocelynstearns.blogspot.com/
http://ryleemcclellan.blogspot.com/
http://timyoungblood.blogspot.com/
http://trush-trush.blogspot.com/
http://willwardwell.blogspot.com/