On Thursday, July 11, 2019 the D.C. Council Committee on Judiciary and Public held a hearing to hear public testimony on the following bills: The “Special Education Rights for Youth Defendants Amendment Act of 2019” and The “Protecting Children Through Mandatory Reporting Amendment Act of 2019”.
AJE’s Senior Staff Attorney, Stacey Eunnae testified in support of both bills. Her testimony will address the meaningful impact that these bills will have on students in the District of Columbia. You can read her full testimony here.
The “Special Education Rights for Youth Defendants Amendment Act of 2019”
This bill was introduced by Councilmember Grosso in 2018; he worked alongside education focus groups to identify barriers and propose solutions to make education more equitable in the District of Columbia. The purpose of this bill is to establish a panel of court appointed special education attorneys in the Criminal Court Division of D.C. Superior Court. Their role would be to advocate for young people who are criminal defendants and have identified or suspected disabilities and special education needs. Please find a more detailed summary from the School Justice Project here.
The “Protecting Children through Mandatory Reporting Amendment Act of 2019”
Attorney General Karl Racine introduced this Bill to the Council in January of 2019. The central focus of this bill is to clarify the responsibilities of professionals who regularly work with children, and are mandatory reporters for suspected child abuse or neglect. This bill seeks to update and expand current mandatory reporting laws in the District of Columbia to ensure the health; safety and wellbeing of children are protected. The main goals of this bill are as follows: 1) To strengthen protections for children across the District of Columbia; 2) expand the definition of who is a “mandatory reporter; 3) increase fines and penalties for those who fail to report child abuse or neglect; 4) require trainings and certifications for those that qualify as mandatory reporters. Please find a more detailed summary of this bill here.
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