Banning restraints and seclusion does more good for more #PwDs more quickly than language-shaming

    Cathy McMorris-Rodgers R-WACD5 has been in leadership in the majority (Republican) party in the House of Representatives since 2013.  Her party has been in the majority since 2011. 



  Why didn't Cathy McMorris-Rodgers criticize Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for eliminating disability civil rights regulations in 2017?  

  At confirmation hearings Betsy DeVos stated her commitment to protecting civil rights of students with disabilities in educational settings.  By October 2017 Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos showed her previous January statement was a lie.




Why didn't Rep Cathy McMorris-Rodgers R-WACD5 work with other leaders of her Republican party since 2011, and since 2013 when she was in leadership, to reintroduce the Keeping All Students Safe Act HR4247 that died after the 2009-2011 Congress mentioned here?


   A hearing in May 2009 brought attention to the issue of use of seclusion and restraint to manage 'discipline problems' in students with disabilities.  Seclusion and restraints were used because receptive and expressive communication deficits weren't remedied mostly because of inadequate well-regulated state and local funding, inadequately supplemented by well-regulated federal funding, paying the costs of adequate training of teachers and aides as well as recruitment and retention.  That funding would have helped PBS (positive behavioral supports) lead to better outcomes for students with disabilities.  A report was issued by March 2012, with data from the Civil Rights Data Collection of the USA Education Dept. Civil Rights Office, explaining the issue of seclusion and restraint in schools.  R-WACD5 Cathy McMorris-Rodgers didn't effectively use the power of her leadership position in the majority Republican Party to continue to protect students with disabilities by continued reintroductions until passage of HR4247 or HR1381 if similar requirements were not included in other related bills. 

 

  The bill was reintroduced in the House and Senate in the 2011-13 Congress.
  

  Apparently Rep McMorris-Rodgers didn't use her majority party, as of January 2011, membership to try to pass HR1381 before she was in leadership as of Jan. 2013.  Even with Republican Senate majorities from Jan. 2015 to Jan. 2017 congresses where passage of a reintroduced and renumbered S.2020 may have been easier.  


 

 Reintroducing HR4247 or HR1381 in Congresses after Jan 2013, using the power of her leadership position, would have done more good for more students with disabilities more quickly than 'calling out' and language-shaming 'President' Don Trump for saying r-word derivatives like "retarded" in reference to his Attorney General Jeff Sessions.




  Lisa Brown is challenging R-WACD5 Rep McMorris-Rodgers in November 2018.