another one bites the dust

I was just talking to my friend from Corona. She and I have been through the ringer with our kids and fighting for special education services. Over the years we have seen and heard it all from parents who have come to me on their own or through her.

The lastest version was a child was pending placement in a residential treatment facility under AB2726/AB3632/ CHAPTER 16.5. Meanwhile the child gets picked up for an incident directly related to his disablity.

The school district dropped the kid like a hot potatoe. Juvenile Justice made him a ward and placed him in RTC. The District Attorney sued the parents for child support.

As many times as we have gone through this battle, it is getting old. This was pretty well controlled so we gave her the resources we had. Then we had her contact Scott Berenson at the state of california department of education special education complaint management and mediation unit and Zoey Todd at the state of california department of mental health (AB3632 coordinator).

She went to court last week and got the desired outcome. The child stays in treatment. DMH has to take jurisdiction. The DA cant' sue for child support.

I just don't get it.

Didn't Christopher T, In Re: Key, and all the others set the precidnet?

Why is it then, 20 years later parents are still loosing custody of children to obtain mental health services and special education services that their children are entitled to under IDEA?

You know, part of me jumped for joy when I heard they reintroduced the Keeping Families Together Act... but part of me wanted to throw up!

I went to Washington DC 5 years ago to meet with AACAP. The bill was already wrote. It was the Family opprotunity Act. It has been reintroduce repatedly... Yet someone is fillabustering it and keeping it from being voted on.

LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR:

THE STATE DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE CUSTODY OF A CHILD SIMPLY TO PROVIDE THIER SPECIAL EDUCATION, MENTAL HEALTH, OR MEDICAL NEEDS!

There have been times I have thrown my hands up in the air... I can't do it all. BUT IT HAS TO STOP!

Hey... call your congressmen and senators for me and yell at them about the keeping families together act!

Love ya