Samantha McClelland | Support HB742

As a parent of a child with special needs. I am fully in support of using the educational trust fund to support special education. Special education is a constitutional right. And should be funded appropriately. We are only as strong as our weakest citizens. And if you treat children with special needs as second class citizens, you will end up supporting them for the rest of their lives. This is the chance to educate, help, support these children into becoming adults, and allowing them the ability to become individuals and most importantly independent. But not giving them the funds that are needed to meet those goals will backfire, and end up costing the state more and more. Children are our future ALL CHILDREN. I ask that you please make sure that these children and their school systems are given the funds, that are federally required to meet their IEP‘s. You are asking towns and districts to choose to break federal law by not giving them the ability to fund what is needed for FERPA. In the long run, we are continually being Penny smart dollar stupid. Please allow our children to have the education not only that they are constitutionally protected to get, that they deserve, but most importantly that they need..