My name is Stephanie Hunter a parent of a Kindergartener at Ockley Green. Prior to entering kindergarten my daughter received early childhood special education with Multnomah Early Childhood Program (MECP). During the time she spent in MECP I also joined Multnomah Parent Action Committee (MPAC) which I continue to be a peer parent for and that serves as a community partner with MECP.
My experience with MECP was wonderful. It is very difficult to realize that your child is not developing typically and it is a hard phone call to make to ask for help. From the first phone call to Kindergarten transition I was treated like an expert on my child, I was offered trainings, the teachers consistently raised the bar appropriately for my child, and the partnership with MPAC encouraged me and others to become peer parents to new families having children becoming eligible. I have to repeat: The process from start to finish was handled with expert care and professionalism.
It has come to my attention that PPS has considered not renewing the contract with MECP for evaluations. I would like to ask this board to reconsider this decision. I would like to inform you that the shoes you would have to fill are large and the risks in my opinion outweigh the benefits. PPS may believe they could find financial savings in this decision but the dips in early intervention referrals that are inevitable will equal a large number of unidentified children needing more expensive supports and services when they enter kindergarten. Please allow MECP to continue doing the phenomenal job they have been doing.
The changes proposed with MECP also have inspired another request to the board. Please do not make impactful decisions to the disability community without asking for our opinion. Self advocates say, “Nothing about us, without us” and it is unfortunate when decisions are made for students with disabilities that do not include the parents or students affected. I was before this board last year speaking about how the draft criteria of the plan to update schools did not mention a commitment to making all schools ADA accessible. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act has been in effect since 1975 and the IDEA and ADA since 1990. It is understandable that updating schools will take time and money but how much longer do students with disabilities and their parents have to wait to be acknowledged and included in the plan? Were I not a member of MPAC I would not have even known that MECP was at risk. The superintendent’s online budget says that contracts with MESD will be evaluated but is not specific.
I would like to inform this board that the disability community would be thrilled to be engaged and if you need help with fundraising, getting facilities bonds passed, and just want to learn more you can contact the ARC of Multnomah County, MPAC, FACT, and Multnomah County Developmental Disabilities to name a few. Our families would be honored to help this district in any way if you would please just be sure we are a part of decisions made for us and our kids.
Thank you for considering my request to allow MECP to continue doing evaluations for PPS and engaging the disability community when decisions will affect us.

Can you post your prepared statement here?

When I was a child, my behavior was far from being what most people would label “intelligent.” It was often limited, repetitive and antisocial. I could not do many of the things that most people take for granted, such as looking someone in the eye or deciphering a person’s body language, and only acquired these skills with much effort over time. I also struggled to learn many of the techniques for spelling or doing sums taught in class because they did not match my own style of thinking.

The bell curve distribution for IQ scores tells us that two thirds of the world’s population has an IQ somewhere between 85 and 115. This means that some four and a half billion people around the globe share just 31 numerical values (“he’s a 94,” “you’re a 110,” “I’m a 103”), equivalent to 150 million people worldwide sharing the same IQ score. This sounds a lot to me like astrology, which lumps everyone into one of 12 signs of the zodiac.

It should be well known by now that IQ scores are affected by race, environmental deprivation, stress, and other issues.

For instance there is a documented “foster care effect” where kids who are found adoptive homes often climb in IQ scores. Love, it appears, is brain food.

Of course low IQ is a real thing, and often the result of conditions like FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). However it is not the final story on a child. Many kids with lower IQs have wonderful strengths, and there is a lot that can be done to strengthen their abilities.

Early intervention is key and it concerns me that PPS would take over MCEP. I don’t believe for a minute that PPS will do prompt home visits like MCEP for evals.

I think the end result will be a lot of children will go without help.