To: Board of Education of the Chappaqua School District
Helping Kids with Dyslexia in the Chappaqua Schools
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Please join us to ensure that children with dyslexia in the Chappaqua School District receive the support they need to succeed.
Why is this important?
An Open Letter to the Members of the Board of Education for the Chappaqua Central School District,
We are the parents, relatives, and friends of children with dyslexia who attend school in Chappaqua. These children deserve the same access to all that the Chappaqua Central School District has to offer. However, many of these children aren’t provided with evidence-based instruction.
The International Dyslexia Association and National Institutes of Child Health & Human Development define dyslexia as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition along with poor spelling and decoding abilities. According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, one in five people has dyslexia. It is the most common learning disability crossing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines.
Chappaqua Schools have historically been at the forefront of educational advancement. We call upon the Board to continue to honor this commitment and extend its proactive tradition by specifically addressing the needs of children with dyslexia.
We respectfully ask the Board to require schools under its control to:
1. Accurately identify students with dyslexia, a reading disorder, not a reading delay;
2. Use the word dyslexia or reading disorder so that evidence-based instruction and intervention can be provided;
3. Provide a written plan of action specifying evidence-based intervention, frequency, and measurable objectives for all students with dyslexia; and
4. Train at least one reading specialist and one special educator in each of the schools in an Orton Gillingham program (for e.g. PAF - preventing academic failure).
These modifications require minimal funding. Moreover, since many children with dyslexia receive services, the modifications ensure effective use of the funds already allocated. We look forward to working together so that children with dyslexia thrive in the Chappaqua schools.
Signed,
We are the parents, relatives, and friends of children with dyslexia who attend school in Chappaqua. These children deserve the same access to all that the Chappaqua Central School District has to offer. However, many of these children aren’t provided with evidence-based instruction.
The International Dyslexia Association and National Institutes of Child Health & Human Development define dyslexia as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition along with poor spelling and decoding abilities. According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, one in five people has dyslexia. It is the most common learning disability crossing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines.
Chappaqua Schools have historically been at the forefront of educational advancement. We call upon the Board to continue to honor this commitment and extend its proactive tradition by specifically addressing the needs of children with dyslexia.
We respectfully ask the Board to require schools under its control to:
1. Accurately identify students with dyslexia, a reading disorder, not a reading delay;
2. Use the word dyslexia or reading disorder so that evidence-based instruction and intervention can be provided;
3. Provide a written plan of action specifying evidence-based intervention, frequency, and measurable objectives for all students with dyslexia; and
4. Train at least one reading specialist and one special educator in each of the schools in an Orton Gillingham program (for e.g. PAF - preventing academic failure).
These modifications require minimal funding. Moreover, since many children with dyslexia receive services, the modifications ensure effective use of the funds already allocated. We look forward to working together so that children with dyslexia thrive in the Chappaqua schools.
Signed,