Please click this link to sign a petition that will allow parents to recoup their exenses for expert witnesses hired in an attempt to secure educational services for their disabled children:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Ib9OdiMVf9ZE2rcPz5F2DA_3d_3d

PETITION TEXT

We, the undersigned, strongly urge Congress to pass the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act, H.R. 2740. The bill will allow parents who prevail in hearings and litigation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to recoup their expert witness fees. In 2006, the Supreme Court held in Arlington Central School District v. Murphy that parents could not recover expert fees. H.R. 2740 will overturn that decision. It will restore Congress' original intent in enacting the Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986 to allow prevailing parents to recover expert witness fees along with attorneys' fees.

The IDEA Fairness Restoration Act will make a difference to the millions of parents of students with disabilities in America. Few parents can afford to pay the thousands of dollars needed to pay qualified medical, educational, and technical experts. Approximately 36% of children with disabilities live in families whose income falls below the poverty line; approximately 2/3 live in families earning less than $50,000 a year. While parents must hire expert witnesses to testify, school districts can use therapists, psychologists, and other expert witnesses on their payroll or hire witnesses at public expense. Congress should allow parents in IDEA cases to recover expert fees just as prevailing plaintiffs in ADA, Title VII, and other civil rights cases do.

It is important to pass H.R. 2740 to ensure that parents are not deprived of their right to due process for lack of resources.

Thank you very much for your support.