Town hall meeting planned to discuss future of education for children with disabilities

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5 days ago

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ A town hall meeting is scheduled to discussion the future of education for children with disabilities.
The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Lacey PAC Adaptive Movement Center, 152 N. Broadway, New Philadelphia.
"The goal of the event is to gather parents, caregivers and especially parents with kids with disabilities to discuss the uncertainty of Department of Education funding for local schools," said Bria Bennett, communications director for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, one of the sponsors of the event. "This is an opportunity for parents to be in the room with each other."
The event will run for two hours with presentations by representatives of the groups sponsoring the event, followed by a town hall question and answer session where parents can ask questions of the panelists and each other.
Bennett said public officials have been invited to attend, but none have committed to attend as of Aug. 8.
Event sponsors
The event is sponsored by the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Parents United for Public Schools, Policy Matters Ohio, Red, Wine & Blue, Ohio Education Association, American Federation of Government Employees, and Vouchers Hurt Ohio.
'Parents deserve a seat at the table," said Nick Tuell of Parents United for Public Schools. 'Our nation has come so far in how we treat children with disabilities that we cannot allow politicians to roll back the clock on our kids' futures.'
Organizers said these town halls will bring together parents, caregivers, educators and community members to share their stories and spotlight the growing barriers families face, especially those raising children with disabilities, from special education teacher staffing shortages and retention, delays in IEP evaluations, weakening oversight and inaccessible transportation.
With both state and federal education policy at a tipping point, the event is a chance for the people most impacted to speak directly to the leaders shaping their children's future, organizers said.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Education for children with disabilities topic of Aug. 13 meeting
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