DC Dyslexia Legislation
On February 19, 2019, the DC Council introduced B23-0150, the Dyslexia and Other Reading Disabilities Screening and Prevention Pilot Program Act of 2019. Councilmembers Todd, Allen, Evans, Nadeau, and Bonds sponsored the bill along with cosponsors Cheh and T. White. This bill, B23-0150, is the reintroduction of B22-0079 which was introduced in January 2017 but went nowhere. We cannot keep "kicking the illiteracy can" down the road any longer. Lives and prospective livelihoods are literally at stake.
As introduced, B23-0150 requires the Office of the Superintendent of Special Education (OSSE) to establish a dyslexia screening, treatment, and prevention pilot program to begin at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. The pilot program would include annual universal dyslexia screening for students in pre-k through third grade; progress monitoring of students identified with characteristics of dyslexia or related disorders; implementation of remediation and intervention strategies; and training and professional development for teachers. OSSE would be required to submit reports to the Mayor and the Council regarding the success of the program and whether the program should be implemented throughout the District.
Track the B23-0150 here:
Dyslexia and Other Reading Disabilities Screening and Prevention Pilot Program Act of 2019
Read the four-page bill here:
http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/41898/B23-0150-Introduction.pdf
Decoding Dyslexia-DC is advocating for the following policy goals:
• A universal definition and description of “dyslexia” in the District's education code
• Mandatory teacher training on dyslexia, its warning signs, and appropriate intervention strategies
• Mandatory, universal early screening for risk factors
• Mandatory dyslexia remediation programs, which can be accessed by both general and special education populations
• Access to appropriate “assistive technologies” in District schools for students with dyslexia and reading difficulties
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