On Thursday, August 20, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) hosted a roundtable in Newport News, Virginia. Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) was also in attendance, as were parents, advocates, school administrators, and teachers. COPAA CEO Denise Marshall and parent member Myleisha McKiver from Stafford, VA attended on behalf of COPAA. 

Senator Kaine led a discussion focused on funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other pressing topics including recent federal administrative actions affecting special education, such as efforts to move functions of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) from the Department of Education (ED) to the Department of Health and Human Services, protecting access to special education services and accommodations, and improving postsecondary outcomes and transition from K–12 education into higher education, employment, and independent living.

Marshall spoke on behalf of students and families and first thanked the Senator for leading the bipartisan bill (S 5046) that passed the Senate HELP Committee in July that would stop ED from moving four offices to other agencies, including OSERS. They also discussed the need to protect IDEA and the Office for Civil Rights, and that no bills should come through the Senate to amend IDEA. McKiver, who has two children with disabilities and is an advocate, spoke passionately about the importance of IDEA and expressed why current efforts to remove federal oversight of IDEA give parents great angst. The group addressed topics such as full funding of IDEA, discipline, personnel preparation, early intervention/head start, and monitoring and compliance.

Receptive to the group's discussion and recommendations, both Kaine and Scott spoke to their ongoing commitment to protecting and supporting the civil and educational rights of students with disabilities. 

Watch the news here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GljB4T2jOSE