Advocacy Action Alert | SB 89 – Special Education COVID-19 Recovery Act!


Pass SB 89 – Special Education COVID-19 Recovery Act!

UPDATED 4/16/21: Contact Chair of Public Education, Rep. Dutton & the Committee Clerk.   Originally Posted: 4/8/21

Issue:

Due to COVID-19 and it’s disruption to schooling, many students with disabilities have experienced a loss or change in services and support due to online learning and other factors, as many services were interrupted, reduced, delayed, suspended, or discontinued.

SB 89 requires the addition of a written supplement to a student’s individualized education plan (IEP) which must detail whether the student’s full evaluation was completed in the 2019-2020 school year or the 2020-2021 school year. The supplement must also include whether or not the services available to the student were interrupted, reduced, delayed, suspended, or discontinued. 

As proposed, SB 89 amends current law relating to supplemental information required for inclusion with a written statement of an individualized education program developed for certain public school students who received special education services during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year.

The supplement will not cost any extra money or time as it will be added during the annual IEP process and many districts have already gone through this process.

Bill:

SB 89 -Senator Jose Menendez.  (Companion HB 144 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez)

Full bill text can be found here: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=SB89

Specific Action Needed:

UPDATED 4/16/21: Ask: “Please vote this out of the Public Education Committee!”

4/8/21: Ask: “I am asking that Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick support SB-89 and bring it to a floor vote. This bill will help students with autism receiving special ed. services Thank you!” 

Who to Call/Email:

UPDATED 4/16/21: Contact Chair Rep. Harold Dutton for a vote on SB-89. Contact the Committee Clerk of Public Education to ask SB-89 to come up for a vote.

Representative Harold Dutton Jr. – Chair (512) 463-0510 harold.dutton@house.texas.gov

Committee Clerk Tamoria Jones (512) 463-0804 tamoria.jones_hc@house.texas.gov

4/8/21: Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick – https://www.ltgov.texas.gov/contact/

Now take action on the Companion Bill, HB 144 here: https://www.texasautismsociety.org/hb144-spedcovidrecoveryact

Let us know if you were successful or if AST Advocacy staff need to do any follow-ups at 512-479-4199 Ext. 10 or advocacy@texasautismsociety.org.