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To: Family and Friends
Re: Texas Senate Bill 1000 for educating children with autism
On Wednesday, February 28, 2007, Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) introduced Senate Bill 1000 to create an Autism Services Accessibility Program (ASAP) in Texas. The ASAP bill will allow families the flexibility to locate the educational program to best meet the needs of their child with autism. This includes transferring to another public school within the district they reside, transferring to a public school in another district without having to reside there, or transferring to an accredited private school.
I’m sure you have seen all the media coverage lately on the rise in autism – 1 in 150 children now diagnosed with autism. While great minds across the world continue to research the cause and cure of autism, Texas must meet the educational needs of its children with autism today. If a student with autism is placed in an inappropriate educational setting, they will at best make little or no progress, and at worst may regress, and their problem behaviors may increase. The student will not learn. Sometimes left without appropriate choices, families reach a point where they are no longer able to keep their child with autism at home, resulting in residential placement: a high-cost outcome for taxpayers and heartbreak for families. One thing we know for sure: All children with autism can learn and make significant educational progress if placed in an appropriate setting to meet their individual needs.
As you know, filing the bill is only step 1 in a long process towards making this bill a law. I need your help. Please forward this email to your family, friends, neighbors, therapists, doctors, business associates, etc. asking for their support of Senate Bill 1000. We want this process to be as simple as possible as there will be multiple phone calls and emails needed over the next few months to our elected officials. If you support SB 1000, you can simply email us at parents@texasautismscholarships.com and state “I support SB 1000 to create an Autism Services Accessibility Program in Texas” and most important, include your name and full home address. We will take care of getting your email to both the Texas Senate and Texas House Education Committee members, as well as your own Texas State Senator and State Representative. We will not be sharing your personal information with anyone else.
If you can contact the Texas Legislature directly throughout this process, we highly encourage it! Especially if you have a child with autism. It is extremely important that each state senator hears from their own constituents affected by autism. Please make sure to contact your State Senator (not U.S. Senators Cornyn and Hutchison). Please visit www.texasautismscholarships.com to keep track of this grassroots advocacy and to view Helpful Hints, sample letters, and contact information for the Senate.
I appreciate your support for Senate Bill 1000.
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