October 27:
Private Schools
Workshop with PSESD, Renton
November 10:
Private Schools Gathering at
Gonzaga Prep,
Spokane
November
12:
Private Schools Gathering
at Liberty Christian School, Richland
February
11:
Winter Dinner and Best of
Washington Awards
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The WFIS eMemo is a
publication of
Washington Federation of
Independent Schools
P. O. Box 449
DuPont, WA 98327
253.912.WFIS(9347)
Judy Jennings
Executive Director
Jan L. Morrison
Assistant to the
Director
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The Washington Federation of
Independent Schools (WFIS) is the umbrella organization
for private education in Washington State. With seventy
percent of the independent student population enrolled
in member schools, WFIS is the only statewide vehicle
for regular communication and strategic development
between the many different constituencies. WFIS
schools are affiliates of the Catholic dioceses in the
state; the Association of Christian Schools
International (ACSI); the Christian Schools
International (CSI); Lutheran Schools; Montessori
schools; the Pacific Northwest Association of
Independent Schools (PNAIS); the Seventh-day Adventist
Schools (SDA); and numerous other religious and
independent institutions, including the Waldorf Schools,
Hutterian Brethren, and those institutions with
sponsorship within the Jewish and Islamic
communities. The WFIS Board of Directors consists
of eighteen school heads representing the major
constituencies chosen regionally by their respective
bodies. WFIS is networked with similar
organizations in other states through the Council for
American Private Education
(CAPE).
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Washington
State Ends Special Education Discriminatory Ban at
Religious Schools
Superintendent Repeals
Ban in Response to Federal Constitutional
Lawsuit
Seattle, Wash.--Special
needs children and their parents won a big victory
when, on October 1, the Superintendent of Public
Instruction adopted new regulations repealing the
state's ban on certain special education services
at private religious schools. The repeal
came in response to a federal constitutional
lawsuit filed in November 2008 by the Institute
for Justice Washington Chapter (IJ-WA) on behalf
of three families with special needs children and
an enormous amount of input from WFIS and many of
its member schools.
"This is a
victory not only for children with special needs
but also for educational liberty," said Michael
Bindas, a staff attorney with the Institute for
Justice. Judy Jennings, Executive Director
of WFIS, stated, "We are overjoyed for our
parentally placed children with special
needs. This was definitely the right
decision by OSPI."
The new
regulations concern special education services
provided under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that gives
funds to the states to provide special education
to children with disabilities. The IDEA
requires that school districts spend a portion of
these funds providing services to children whose
parents choose private schools--including
religious schools--and it expects the services to
be provided at the child's school, where they will
be of greatest benefit to the
child.
For years, however,
Washington's Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction (OSPI) prohibited school districts
from providing IDEA services--including material
and equipment--on the campuses of religious
schools. Children enrolled at public and
non-religious private schools could receive
services on-site, but children whose parents chose
religious schools were forced to travel off-site
to some "nonsectarian" location in order to access
the help they needed.
"The old
policy was incredibly disruptive and stigmatizing
for kids with special needs," explained
Bindas. "It also rendered many types of
services and equipment useless. What good,
for example, is a hearing aid if a child can't use
it in her classroom?"
Because of the
problems that the old policy caused for families
with special needs kids--and because the policy
violated the neutrality toward religion required
by the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution--the Institute for Justice Washington
Chapter filed a federal constitutional lawsuit
challenging the policy in November 2008. The
case, DeBoom v. Bergeson, was filed on behalf of
three Lynden-area families--the DeBooms, Hamiltons
and Apodacas--whose children had been harmed by
the discriminatory ban.
"All I wanted
was the freedom to choose the school that was best
for my son and not be punished for doing so,"
explained plaintiff Shari DeBoom, whose son
Michael was denied the services of a para-educator
and a specially equipped laptop because of the
ban.
Shortly after the suit
was filed, OSPI announced that it would reconsider
its policy and, in July, 2009, published proposed
regulations that would repeal the prohibition on
services at religious schools. It held a
public hearing on the proposed regulations on
September 3. The hearing drew
representatives from the Washington State Catholic
Conference and Archdiocese of Seattle, Jewish
Federation of Greater Seattle, Washington
Federation of Independent Schools, Washington
Policy Center and other groups and families, all
of whom testified in support of repealing the
ban.
On October 1, 2009, OSPI
officially adopted the proposed regulations,
eliminating once and for all the discriminatory
prohibition on special education at religious
schools.
Plaintiff Margaret Hamilton,
whose son, Skyler, a ten-year-old boy in remission
from brain cancer, was also harmed by the old
policy, hailed OSPI's action. She said, "We
are so grateful for OSPI's decision, which can
help not only Skyler and our family, but the many
other families with special needs children across
the state who should be able to choose the schools
that are best for their
children."
"No parent should be
forced to choose between her child's physical
needs and the school she believes is best for her
child, yet that is precisely the choice the old
policy forced Washington parents to make," said
IJ-WA's Bindas. "Under the new policy,
special education services may be provided at the
school the child's parents believe is best for
her, whether public or private, religious or
non-religious. In other words, the new
policy is neutral toward religion, which is
exactly what the federal Constitution
requires."
WFIS is proud
to have worked alongside IJ and the private school
administrators, teachers and parents who provided
input to OSPI and who testified regarding their
concerns both at the hearing and during the
comment period. When we all work together,
we can make an amazing difference for our
students!
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Don't Miss
This Workshop!
The Washington Federation of Independent
Schools and the Puget Sound Educational Service
District have designed a workshop day just
for private schools!
Private Schools
Day
October 27, 2009 -
8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Puget Sound ESD, 800
Oakesdale Ave. SW, Renton, WA
98057
Don't miss this opportunity to
gain significant insight and current information
specifically relating to private
schools!
Registration Deadline:
October 19, 2009
Fee:
$72.00 (or $63/person for a school group of three
or more)
(Reg. Fee includes materials,
continental breakfast and lunch)
Six
Clock Hours Available through the ESD @
$12.00
(Clock Hours free to WFIS members
through www.my247ed.com)
For
More Info go to: www.WFIS.org
Register Now: http://register.psesd.org/class_info.php?CID=31598
Unable to attend on October
27th?
Join us in Central and Eastern
Washington for a
recap!
November 10, 2009, 9 - 11:00 am -
Gonzaga Preparatory School,
Spokane
November 12, 2009, 9 - 11:00
am - Liberty Christian School,
Richland
To R.S.V.P. for Spokane or
Richland
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WFIS Executive Board
Highlights
The Washington
Federation of Independent Schools held its
first of three board meetings for the 09-10 school
year on Wednesday, September 23, at the WIAA
building in Renton. All major private school
constituency groups were represented.
President, Ron Taylor, Superintendent of Bellevue
Christian Schools, welcomed our new
representatives, Mr. Dan Sherman, Principal, St.
Madeleine-Sophie Catholic School in Bellevue and
Mr. Greg Marsh, Principal of Eastside Catholic
School in Sammamish.
Regular reports
were received from State Board of Education (SBE)
representative, Jack Schuster; WIAA
representative, Ross Hjelseth; Early Learning
Advisory Committee (ELAC) member, Paula Smith; and
Health and Safety Committee, Chris Gavin.
Board members then used
"outrageous learning" as a springboard to a
discussion of "best practices" and how they
might influence WFIS positions on legislative
advocacy and professional
development.
Board
Actions:
1. Approved 08-09 Year-End
Budget Report and current financial
report.
2. Approved private schools
inclusion into anti-gang statement for all schools
in Washington.
3. Supported recommendation to
WIAA to change tourney format in order to reduce
out of class time and costs to schools who
participate.
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Teaching
Students with Dyslexia and
Dysgraphia
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009
Featuring Virginia Berninger,
PhD and Beverly Wolf, MEd
8:00 am Registration
8:30 am Welcome
11:30 Book Signing
12:00-12:30 WABIDA Annual Meeting and Board
Elections
Black River Training and Conference
Center
800 Oakesdale Ave SW
Renton, Washington
Directions:
******************************
Conference Registration
IDA Members $45
Non-Members $60
Join or Renew IDA membership &
Register $125
Click here to register on line:
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Public Comment: Investing in Innovation
(i3) Fund
The proposed notice of priorities,
requirements, definitions and selection criteria
for the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund [ID
ED_FRDOC-OOO1-O154] has been published for public
comment in the Federal Register. The i3 Fund
will provide approximately $650 million for
competitive grants to local education agencies
(LEAs) and nonprofit organizations in partnership
with one or more LEAs or a consortium of schools.
The purpose of the program is to provide
competitive grants to applicants with a record of
improving student achievement, in order to expand
the implementation of, and investment in,
innovative practices that are demonstrated to have
an impact on improving student achievement or
student growth. It also promotes school
readiness, closing the achievement gap, decreasing
dropout rates, increasing high school graduation
rates, and improving teacher and school leader
effectiveness.
Public CommentFor a
period of 30 days, the general public may submit
comments, including questions, suggestions and
feedback concerning the proposed notice through
the formal comment process. These comments
are available for public inspection online and at
the Department of Education. Once the
comment period closes, the Department will review
and consider all properly submitted comments and
prepare the final i3 notice and application.
If you wish to submit comments, you may
do so electronically at the Federal eRulemaking Portal or via
postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand
delivery. Additional
InformationAdditional information on
i3 and other Department of Education programs is
located on the Department's website located
at: www.ed.gov .
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New Guidance: Help
Control the Spread of Infectious Diseases in
Schools, Seasonal and H1N1Influenza, MRSA and
Noroviruses
Top of
Page |
The Clarice Smith National Teacher
Institute 2009
Monday,
December, 28-Thursday, December 31, 2009
Time:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Thursday
Location: Smithsonian American Art
Museum, Washington, DC
Fee: $100 per
participant
Join colleagues from
across the country for a unique opportunity to
collaborate with subject matter experts and
leading technology professionals. Through gallery
talks, lectures, discussion groups, and hands-on
activities, you'll learn to incorporate artworks
and technology to enliven your core subject
teaching. As part of an interdisciplinary team,
you'll share models for integrating American art
across the curriculum using Web 2.0 applications,
such as podcasts, wikis, and blogs. After the
Institute, you'll become part of a community of
practice and share ideas and resources in your
classroom and beyond.
Applications are due Monday,
November 2, 2009, 11:59 PM EDT.
For
more information: http://americanart.si.edu/education/dev/cs/
For an application form: http://americanart.si.edu/education/dev/cs/form/
Questions? E-mail: AmericanArtClariceSmithInitiative@si.edu
The Clarice Smith American Art
Education Initiative is supported by a generous
gift from The Robert H. Smith Family
Foundation.
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The
October 2009 issue of CAPE
Outlook, a monthly newsletter from the
Council for American Private Education, is
available for download as a free PDF document by
clicking here or by entering the following URL in
your browser: http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook348.pdf
In
Outlook this month:
-
Education
Sec. Duncan Talks to Private School Leaders
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Students
and Families Rally for School Choice
-
I
Am What I Learn Video Contest
-
2009
Blue Ribbon Schools
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And
More!
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Membership Renewal Time
is Now:
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