The proposed regulations would eliminate the current requirements for Child Study Committees. Under the proposed regulations, each school system could develop procedures to review referrals of children who are suspected of having a disability. Parents may be eliminated from the screening process.

Does this proposed regulation benefit children with disabilities and their families? No.

If parents are removed from the screening process, school personnel will be deprived of an invaluable source of information about the child. This proposed regulation sends a clear message that parental participation is of no importance to school staff.

As noted in the earlier discussion, IDEA encourages parental involvement and parental participation at every step of the special education process:

"the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by ... strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families of such children have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home ..." (20 U.S.C. 1400(c)(5)(B))

Conclusion: This proposed regulation is unnecessary and would create inconsistency between school systems. It would discourage or eliminate parental participation and involvement in determing if a child needs special education services. This regulation should be eliminated.