Florida readers! Urgent "Learning Gateway" legislative message from Brenda Dickinson
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
I sent this to the Central Florida list this morning, but realize I may
have missed many of our other Florida readers, so I am sending it to the
whole list. Even if you don't live in Florida, you are welcome to read
on and find out what is going on in the Sunshine State, which may make
its way to where you live, if it hasn't already! If you aren't
interested, just DELETE NOW!
I got a call after I sent this telling me that this is the LAST DAY to
call Governor Jeb Bush. So if you DO live in Florida, act now! If you
click on the web link and read the bill, at face value may SEEM harmless.
However, as Brenda points out, there are still many dangers with it.
Brenda is very level-headed and experienced in legislative matters, so
when she says "Warning!" I take her seriously!
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Virginia Q Knowles <HOMENEWS@JUNO.COM>
Subject: [HopeChestCentFL] Urgent "Learning Gateway" legislative message
from Brenda Dickinson
~~ A message from Hope Chest Home School News Central Florida on May
18, 2001
Dear friends,
The following just came from Brenda Dickinson, of Home Education
Foundation, who is our lobbyist in Tallahassee. Please act now! Let
Governor Jeb Bush know that we do NOT want CS/SB 1018 to pass! And
forward this message to everyone you know in Florida!
(As a personal note, have you ever received a card from the state asking
that you verify your newborn child's vaccinations? Did you know that if
you don't send it back in, a social worker may show up ON YOUR DOORSTEP?
I am not joking. This happened to me a few years ago. I don't think we
want it to go any further than that! We need to preserve our parental
rights.)
Contact information for Governor Jeb Bush:
Email: fl_governor@myflorida.com
Phone: 850-488-7146
Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Leaders,
Many of you have sent emails to your groups to contact the Governor's
office with emails, calls and faxes to ask him to veto CS/SB 1018. Thank
you for so much your help. I understand that the Governor received the
certified bill today and he can act on it immediately or he has until
June 1.
Apparently, word has gotten out that many of us are trying to kill the
bill and the opponents are trying to raise support for the bill. I
received the email below today. Dr. Sandra Adams is currently the Chair
of the Florida Partnership for School Readiness and served on the Study
Commission that wrote CS/SB 1018. Kay Young is the lobbyist for Florida
Association of School Psychologists, Florida Association of School Social
Workers, and Coalition for Education of Exceptional Students.
Just so you understand how all this works together. The Partnership for
School Readiness proposed SB 422 and HB 35 during the Session this year.
These bills would have provided recommendations to the Legislature next
year to expand the prekindergarten early intervention program to provide
access for "all" 4 year old children at no expense to their parents. The
Senate amended the bill to say "all at risk" children and put in a
sliding fee scale for parents, only because the expense to the state to
implement this program would have been approximately $424 million.
This is a serious issue. There was a special series this week on Eye on
America CBS News which featured the drugging of children in foster care
in Florida. This is also happening in our schools. Currently, over 7
million children nationwide are on Ritalin and all the assailants in
school shootings were on psychotropic drugs. Many of these children who
are labelled as learning delayed or disabled are expected to "learn"
before they are developmental ready for formal education and are burned
out or drugged when they do not fit the system.
Learning Gateway is a way that the state can intervene at birth and gain
control of your child. It is very intrusive and there are many questions
that are not addressed in this bill. One of which is, if a parent
refuses "further referrals," under the IDEA laws, does the Gateway have
the authority to take the case before a judge and override the parent?
They do, if your child is in a public school and if the school team
determines that your child needs special services and you do not give
your written consent. Or if the parent refuses "further services" could
the parent be charged with neglect?
If you have not yet sent your letter to the Governor, I urge you to
write, call and email the Governor's office immediately and ask him to
VETO CS/SB 1018.
Thank you,
Brenda Dickinson
Email: fl_governor@myflorida.com
Phone: 850-488-7146
William Ammons
william.ammons@laspbs.state.fl.us
Phone: 850-488-4512
FAX: 850-487-0801
850-414-2261
Dear Commission Members,
I encourage each of you to email the governor to sign SB 1018. From what
I
have heard, there is major opposition coming from organized home
schoolers
and also the Scientology community. There may be other faith based
organizations as well. But in any case, the issue seems to be that it is
seen as government intrusion, with concerns about screenings and
labeling,
etc.
Please email the governor asap and give him your brief rationale as how
this
is going to help prevent learning disabilities in children whose families
choose to take part...or whatever you feel is important for him to know
in
making his decision whether to sign or veto it. Also, please get
educators,
parents, medical or other professionals,etc to write to him as well. It
would be a shame to lose at this late date, after all the effort that has
been put into designing something that might actually be helpful in
improving
school readiness and academic success in school.
Email governor at:
You may read the final language at:
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/data/session/2001/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s1
018er.pdf
Special thanks to Kay Young for her help with getting this bill passed
during
the session. When it was ambushed in one of the committee meetings, she
was
present and insisted on being allowed to speak to its merits and to the
year
of work done by the commission members.
Thanks,
Sandra Adams