ACTION ALERT: GAO Needs Your OCR Experiences by Noon EST 6/23/09! (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Please read the following message from Georgeann Higgins of the GAO and forward any complaints against your state's OCR to GAO's FraudNET at http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm:

The call for information regarding Office of Civil Rights is erroneous. We suspect that the originator, though likely well intentioned, was misinformed when they reported that GAO is seeking letters from parents for a report on issues at OCR.

GAO is responsible for assisting the Congress in carrying out its oversight responsibilities pertaining to government programs, activities and functions. Generally, this involves examining the programs and operations of federal departments and agencies, rather than reviewing singular allegations of wrongdoing or poor performance in connection with specific matters. Allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement of federal funds can be reported to GAO’s FraudNET, accessed via internet at http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm. Persons who wish to report specific allegations of abuse or other crimes not reported to law enforcement, should contact the police authority in their area, the child protective service in their state, and/or seek legal advice.

Georgeann M. Higgins

Passing on with permission from a post on COPAA list serve

PLEASE FORWARD/CIRCULATE WIDELY WITHOUT FURTHER PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR:

I just rec'd this from another list. If OCR dumped your complaint without doing a real investigation - didn't investigate at all or took the district's word for everything - or made a finding based on wrong statements or interpretations of Section 504, please read the message below and respond IMMEDIATELY. - Dee Alpert

Gov't Accountability Office is Seeking Information and Need Info ASAP....

I was just told that Georgianne Higgins of the Gov't Accountability Office, is still seeking information from parents who have gone to OCR and have gotten nowhere. She is supposed to be doing a report regarding the issues with OCR . She has asked that we get as many parents to write a letter to her attention by tomorrow as she is on a deadline.

So if you have had an issue with OCR office, that you filed a complaint and they closed the complaint without proper investigation or no finding, send a letter to Georgiane Higgins: email her at higginsg@gao.gov and in the subject line say this: 'PARENTS FROM THESE STATES' , make sure to put that in the subject line and she has to receive this information by Noon eastern time June 23. If you know of any other parent, they also need to send an email to higginsg@gao.gov