Resolution on Special Needs Children’s Rights

WHEREAS, 84 years ago, the founders of the League of Latin American Citizens, (LULAC) joined together to establish an organization that would become the largest, oldest and successful Hispanic civil rights and service organization in the United States, and

WHEREAS, Children with special needs require more support, service, devices, teaching assistance and individual educational planning. Without these, they lack equal opportunities to reach their full potential , and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Latino parents the education, money, and resources to be successful advocates for their special needs children with particular issue in regard to Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s) or rights under ADA Children with Disabilities Act , and

WHEREAS, children with special needs whose parents lack the education, money, and resources to be successful advocates for their special needs child, are targeted by local School Districts and other educational institutions to receive less support, services, devices, teaching assistance, and individual education planning than children from well-to-do families,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the California LULAC do hereby urge that policies and practices which affect the well-being and advancement of all special needs school-age children, and be easily understandable and accessible, and that they ben in place to review the status of a parent request for services or an IEP , and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, LULAC calls for all parents to have the right to know, the how’s and why’s of decisions made by School Districts which effect the well-being and future advancement of their child. Parents should have a right, regardless of education or preferred language, to all communications regarding their child, including recorded pre-IEP meetings.

Approved this 22nd day of June 2013.

Margaret Moran
LULAC National President