House Bill 294 has passed in the House, and has moved onto the Senate as SB0926. Senate Bill 926 is a statewide Maryland bill that was introduced to put protections in place for special education families. Currently, the burden of proof falls on parents to prove to the school system that their child is not receiving the necessary special education supports. The school system will commonly look for ways to weasel out of providing students with disabilities with a Free and Appropriate Education by making excuses. They do this by not agreeing with a child's medical diagnosis or disability. This is VERY abusive, costing families thousands of dollars in legal fees to no end. Those that cannot afford to hire a lawyer are abused even more.
This bill is a God send, as it establishes due process rights for the student and parent, switching the burden of proof onto the school system. As a result, the school must prove (not the parent) that they are meeting the educational needs of the child under FAPE regardless if the public school system agrees with a child's medical diagnosis or not.
It's sad that we need a bill to enforce what the school system is already required to do. This is how you can help. Please e-mail your senators below and ask them to support SB926.
Senator Feldman Committee Chair brian.feldman@senate.state.md.us
Senator Mautz District 37 johnny.mautz@senate.state.md.us
Senator Carozza District 38 marybeth.carozza@senate.state.md.us
Fellows & Editors
March 18, 2023 Copyright DelmarvaPTC.org
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