Texas Twins Law Moving Forward
Monday March 19, 2007
A law that would give parents a voice in deciding classroom placement for their twins is gathering momentum in Texas, reports the Houston Chronicle. Julie Robinson, an advocate for the bill, sent this update, "I wanted to update you with our progress with the twin bill. With the help of the lobbyist for the Texas Assoc. of School Psychologists, both House and Senate Twin Legislation of Texas bills have been filed! House member Eissler has filed HB 314 and Senator Van de Putte has filed SB 403. I'm now calling on all parents who have had issues with classroom placement to come forward and testify at the House and Senate hearings in the next month or so. This is imperative to this becoming a law in our state." If you'd like to share your story about twins in school, please contact Julie by email.
In other states, a New Hampshire group has developed an online petition seeking support for similar legislation. And New York mom, Kathy Dolan, has established a new website that provides information about legislation in states all over the country. Kathy is pushing to get legislation before the New York state legislature in the next few months. If you're a New York resident, please visit Kathy's website and find out how you can help get this important legislation passed into law to benefit all twins and multiples.
Finally, check out this editorial from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about S.B. 123 in Georgia. Although parents of multiples understand the importance of "Twins Laws," some seem to see it as a waste of time. Be sure to read the comments for more insight as well as a defense and explanation of the legislation from parents of multiples.
In other states, a New Hampshire group has developed an online petition seeking support for similar legislation. And New York mom, Kathy Dolan, has established a new website that provides information about legislation in states all over the country. Kathy is pushing to get legislation before the New York state legislature in the next few months. If you're a New York resident, please visit Kathy's website and find out how you can help get this important legislation passed into law to benefit all twins and multiples.
Finally, check out this editorial from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about S.B. 123 in Georgia. Although parents of multiples understand the importance of "Twins Laws," some seem to see it as a waste of time. Be sure to read the comments for more insight as well as a defense and explanation of the legislation from parents of multiples.
Comments
This bill has passed in Texas! See its content.
UPDATE: Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed our Twin Bill into LAW today! Thanks to all of the hard work and support of thousands of individuals, Georgia parents can now CHOOSE to have their twins and higher order multiples placed in the same classroom, regardless of official (or unofficial) school policy. Many future Georgia parents and their multiples will benefit from this new law…Hopefully more states will soon follow!
Story: “Perdue also signed a bill to require school districts to place twins or other multiple siblings in the same classroom if the parent requests it. School districts had been permitted to make the decision.
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, said the new law will allow parents to have more control over their children’s education.”