State Senators Toni Boucher (R-26) and Tony Hwang (R-28) yesterday voted to pass House Bill 7254, An Act Requiring Special Education Teachers to Complete a Program of Study in Evidence-Based Structured Literacy Interventions for Students with Dyslexia. Having passed both the House and Senate, the bill now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
As Co-Chair of the Education Committee, Sen. Boucher said the state must meet the needs of dyslexic students by ensuring that special education teachers have the right training.
“Evidence-based training is backed up by results,” she said. “We want to give all of our students the best opportunity to be successful and having teachers trained in these methods means they will have those opportunities. It’s critical in today’s budget environment that we not use deficits as an excuse to shortchange our children’s future.”
Sen. Hwang said an educated workforce is one of the engines that drives the state’s economy. Having dyslexia should not be a barrier to a child’s future career and financial success.
“We are long past the days when students, parents and educators interpret a learning disability as an inability to learn,” Hwang said. “We know that some children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities can be brilliantly successful. Our mission is to ensure that every child, regardless of any form of learning disability fulfill their opportunity for success.”
Sen. Boucher and Sen. Hwang said passage of the bill in both the House and Senate shows the state’s commitment to meeting the education needs of Connecticut’s children.
Sen. Boucher represents the communities of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.
Sen. Hwang represents the communities of Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston, and Westport.
