{"id":126351,"date":"2017-05-25T10:17:24","date_gmt":"2017-05-25T14:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?post_type=school-college-post&p=126351"},"modified":"2017-05-25T10:24:49","modified_gmt":"2017-05-25T14:24:49","slug":"neag-school-holds-special-education-summit-hartford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2017\/05\/neag-school-holds-special-education-summit-hartford\/","title":{"rendered":"Neag School Holds Special Education Summit in Hartford"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Special<\/a>
WNPR\u2019s David DesRoches, right, moderates a panel discussion about equitable service delivery at the Special Education Summit in Hartford this May. Panelists included Mary Beth Bruder of the UConn Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (far left) and Marisa Halm of the Center for Children\u2019s Advocacy (center). (Photo Credit: Nathan Oldham\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the wake of this past fall\u2019s landmark Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding v. Rell<\/em> court ruling<\/a>, UConn\u2019s Neag School of Education brought together individuals from across the state of Connecticut for a daylong summit dedicated to exploring special education issues.<\/p>\n

Held earlier this month\u00a0at the UConn School of Law campus in Hartford, Conn., the Special Education in Connecticut Summit<\/a> drew more than 160 attendees, including a mix of special education directors, school administrators, attorneys, parents of children with special needs, teachers, and university faculty, among others.<\/p>\n

The event featured four panel discussions focused on innovative and equitable service delivery models and funding methods for special education. Panelists included a range of expert witnesses, school administrators, faculty members, and attorneys from Connecticut and beyond, with WNPR\u2019s Diane Orson<\/a> and David DesRoches<\/a> serving as panel moderators.<\/p>\n

The CCJEF v. Rell<\/em> ruling, handed down in Connecticut Superior Court this past September, is currently under appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court. According to Joseph Madaus, Neag School associate dean for academic affairs and the summit\u2019s emcee, the\u00a0September ruling raised critically important points related to special education, including issues related to identification, equitable funding, and equitable service delivery.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday presents an opportunity to discuss\u00a0ideas that can improve services for Connecticut\u2019s children and their families.\u201d\u00a0\u2014 Joseph Madaus, Neag School Associate Dean for Academic Affairs<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cOne of our key themes and aims today is to share ideas for moving forward,\u201d Madaus said during his opening remarks at the event. \u201cWe know many of the issues, and what hasn\u2019t worked well in the past. Today presents an opportunity to discuss ideas that can improve services for Connecticut\u2019s children and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Howard<\/a>
Thanks to support from UConn School of Law alumnus Howard Klebanoff (pictured) and the Klebanoff Institute, the Special Education Summit was held free of charge to all attendees. (Photo Credit: Nathan Oldham\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thanks to support from the Klebanoff Institute<\/a>, the event was held free of charge to all attendees. The Institute was established at UConn in 1997 in honor of Howard Klebanoff, a UConn School of Law alum \u201cwidely known \u2026 as one of Connecticut\u2019s most distinguished attorneys specializing in special education law,\u201d according to Madaus.<\/p>\n

The longtime motto of the Institute, Klebanoff said, has been: \u201cOf all of nature\u2019s gifts, the most precious is a child.\u201d Klebanoff in fact became directly involved in special education law after one of his\u00a0own children suffered brain damage following a physical illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I really loved was how\u00a0the recent U.S. Supreme Court slammed the judge\u2019s opinion about certain types of children,\u201d Klebanoff said. \u201cI think that U.S. Supreme Court court case<\/a> is certainly a key case in going forward \u2014 but again, it doesn\u2019t deal with the issue of funding, which is so critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missed the event?<\/h3>\n