Deb Davis Education Advocacy

Deb Davis Education Advocacy I'm a parent of a child with disabilities & an education advocate who's devoted to following education rights issues in Maine and across the country.

"While the average U.S. student lost more than half a school year of learning, students with disabilities nationally exp...
02/19/2024

"While the average U.S. student lost more than half a school year of learning, students with disabilities nationally experienced even sharper drops in achievement."

“Students who are struggling in school have higher discipline rates. Kids who are struggling in school are more mobile. They drop out more often. They don't go on to college,” Lauren Morando Rhim with the National Center for Learner Equity said. “There really could be a cascade and impact from not getting those services.”
90.5 WESA | By Jillian Forstadt

According to district data obtained through a Right-To-Know request, nearly 603,000 hours of missed services are owed to current students with disabilities alone.

"The state is required to provide services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy for disabled children from ...
02/12/2024

"The state is required to provide services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy for disabled children from birth until they enter kindergarten. But for years the agency has failed to give kids the early intervention services they need and are legally entitled to receive. (Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender) Makin told employees that she’s worried that if the state does not fix the system soon, the federal government will intervene."

Education Commissioner Pender Makin told employees a federal agency is 'interested' after multiple reports showed CDS is failing disabled children.

"The Department of Education says it is meeting with schools that underreport cases of restraint and seclusion, tactics ...
01/16/2024

"The Department of Education says it is meeting with schools that underreport cases of restraint and seclusion, tactics used disproportionately on students with disabilities and children of color like Staten's son." - By Fred Clasen-Kelly.

Federal officials have long warned that restraint and seclusion in schools can be dangerous and traumatizing for children, but school districts often fail to report incidents as required by law.

Yes! It is worth adopting new reading curricula!! The transition won’t be easy, but it will be worth it! "In the “balanc...
01/16/2024

Yes! It is worth adopting new reading curricula!! The transition won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!

"In the “balanced literacy” approach our schools were using, students were spending a lot of time reading independently, which meant reading books that were often two and three grade levels below where they needed to be. They were almost never exposed to high-quality texts at the right grade level, and they weren’t getting enough explicit instruction in the building-block skills that would accelerate their progress." - Republished by X and written by Tamra Collins and Cristine Vaughan | November 7, 2023, 10:00am EST

A few years ago, too many of our students were not reading at grade level, and despite extra help, too few were ever catching up.

EXCELLENT NEWS!! -> "This letter reinforces the Department of Education's (Department's) position that corporal punishme...
03/27/2023

EXCELLENT NEWS!! -> "This letter reinforces the Department of Education's (Department's) position that corporal punishment in schools should be replaced with evidence-based practices, such as implementing multi-tiered systems of support like Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, that create a safe and healthy school environments. Every student and educator should feel safe and supported inside of school buildings; and more importantly, schools should always be free from the threat of violence."

Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote to Governors, Chief State School Officers, and School District and School Leaders and urged them to end corporal punishment in schools—the practice of paddling, spanking, or otherwise imposing physical punishmenton students. This letter reinf...

Roman Martinez, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer who argued the case on behalf of Perez, said the court's ruling "vindicat...
03/22/2023

Roman Martinez, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer who argued the case on behalf of Perez, said the court's ruling "vindicates the rights of students with disabilities to obtain full relief when they suffer discrimination." Perez and his family, he said, "look forward to pursuing their legal claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act. - John Fritze.

Miguel Perez was assigned an aide who didn't know sign language. The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that he didn't have to wait to sue for damages.

"Limited knowledge of autism and intellectual disability has consequences, the authors of the latest study note, leading...
03/14/2023

"Limited knowledge of autism and intellectual disability has consequences, the authors of the latest study note, leading psychiatrists to rely overly on medication and physical restraint while underutilizing behavioral therapies." - Michelle Diament.

Psychiatrists are often some of the main providers of care for people with autism and intellectual disability, but new research finds that many have little training to serve this population.

"In a report last year, the National Disability Rights Network, a national nonprofit established by Congress more than f...
02/28/2023

"In a report last year, the National Disability Rights Network, a national nonprofit established by Congress more than four decades ago, found informal removals occurring hundreds and perhaps thousands of times per year as “off-the-book suspensions.” The report said the removals also included “transfers to nowhere,” when students are involuntarily sent to programs that do not exist." - By Erica L. Green.

Known as informal removals, the tactics are “off-the-book” suspensions often in violation of federal civil rights protections for those with disabilities.

“By taking this action, OCR is demonstrating that no district can shun its obligations to students and must use the reso...
12/06/2022

“By taking this action, OCR is demonstrating that no district can shun its obligations to students and must use the resources provided by Congress to address their educational needs,” Denise Marshall, CEO of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. said.

For the second time this year, federal officials say they have reached an agreement with one of the nation's largest school districts for failing to properly serve students with disabilities.

“It wasn’t just students in Fairfax County Public Schools who weren’t getting the services they have a right to,” said L...
12/03/2022

“It wasn’t just students in Fairfax County Public Schools who weren’t getting the services they have a right to,” said Lindsay Kubatzky, director of policy and advocacy for the National Center for Learning Disabilities. “It shouldn’t take legal action for students to get support.”

Fairfax County Schools in Virginia agreed to evaluate students with disabilities for extra services following school closures.

FMI about the great work to reduce the use of R&S! The NEW video is inspiring and is not traumatizing or difficult to wa...
11/14/2022

FMI about the great work to reduce the use of R&S! The NEW video is inspiring and is not traumatizing or difficult to watch.

https://www.maine.gov/doe/reducerestraintandseclusion?fbclid=IwAR2_bCoMSzSd3YwicEqahfmreXRpsT7yNrfYCnhsCYyuGSzoW2RGHW8LigQ

The Maine Department of Education has partnered with Lives in the Balance to provide free, evidence-based resources to all Maine schools working to reduce the use of restraint and seclusion. The standards and procedures for the use of Restraint and Seclusion in schools are outlined in Maine statute....

Exciting NEWS!!
11/02/2022

Exciting NEWS!!

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is partnering with Lives in the Balance, a Maine founded and nationally renowned organization that uses evidence based practice approaches to support schools seeking to reduce their use of Restraint and Seclusion. Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) is t...

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