OPENING BELL, EVERYONE THIS
NEXT SEGMENT OF CREATING
CONNECTIONS IS POWERED BY ATNT
BUSINESS INTERNET DEDICATED
INTERNET ACCESS THAT
ALLOWS US TO BRING THE NEWS TO
YOU NOW CYBERSECURITY IT ACTS
AND THREATS ARE ON THE RISE AND
HACKERS ARE NOT JUST GOING
AFTER THE BIG
ENTERPRISES ANYMORE. RESEARCH
BY THE ATNT CYBER SECURITY AND
ENTERPRISE STRATEGY GROUPS
THERE IS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN
COME THE SIZE AND LIKELIHOOD OF
BEING VICTIM OF A SNIPER TACK
RESEARCH FINDS
THAT 66 PERCENT OF SMALL
BUSINESS SENIOR DECISION-MAKERS
BELIEVES THAT CYBER ATTACKS
WILL NOT AFFECT THEM.
EVEN AS DIGITIZATION INCREASES
BUT 67% OF BUSINESSES.
ACTUALLY SUFFERED A CYBERATTACK
IN
2019. THE NUMBERS HAVE SINCE
BEEN ON THE RISE. SO HOW CAN
SMALL BUSINESSES PROTECT
THEMSELVES FROM THESE KINDS OF
ATTACKS. WELL. IT IS IMPORTANT
TO UNDERSTAND THE TYPES OF
HACKERS THAT ARE OUT.
AND SWITCHING GEARS HERE THE
U.S. EDUCATION HARTMAN IS
INVESTIGATING WHETHER BANS ON
MASK MANDATES IN 5 STATES
VIOLATE THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
THE DEPARTMENT SENT LETTERS TO
STATE EDUCATION LEADERS IN
IOWA, OKLAHOMA SOUTH CAROLINA,
TENNESSEE AND UTAH,
INFORMING THEM THAT THE
INVESTIGATIONS WILL DETERMINE
WHERE THE BOT THAT BANS
ARE DISCRIMINATORY AGAIN AND
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WHO
MAY BE AT HEIGHTENED RISK FOR
SEVERE ILLNESS FROM
COVID-19 AND JOINING US NOW
WITH MORE MOLLY HIGHLAND
PROMINENT CRIMINAL DEFENSE
ATTORNEY AND A FORMER SPECIAL
EDUCATION TEACHER HERSELF.
MOLLY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US. HE FURTHER CLEAN
THE LEGAL ARGUMENT BEHIND THIS
INVESTIGATION.
>> SURE SO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL
RIGHTS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION IS TASKED WITH
ENFORCING SECTION
5 '04. AND THE AMERICANS WITH
DISABILITIES EDUCATIONAL ACT
AND SO BOTH OF THESE ACTS
GOVERN.
STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AND SAY THEY CANNOT BE
DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE
THEIR DISABILITIES. SO
ESSENTIALLY THE STUDENTS ARE
ENTITLED TO WHAT'S CALLED
A FREE APPROPRIATE, BUT HAITIAN
IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE
ENVIRONMENT. AND WHAT THE
OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS IS
LOOKING INTO IS WHETHER A
MASK MANDATE AND PROHIBITS
CERTAIN STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES SPECIFICALLY
THOSE WITH COMPROMISED IMMUNE
SYSTEMS FROM ATTENDING SCHOOL
ALONGSIDE THEIR PEERS.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT THE OFFICE
OF CIVIL RIGHTS IS GOING TO
INVESTIGATE WHEN IT COMES TO
THE STATES HAVE FANS ON MASK
MANDATES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
>> AND THE DEPARTMENT HAS NOT
OPENED INVESTIGATIONS IN STATES
WITH SIMILAR BANS WERE TALKING
ABOUT STATES LIKE FLORIDA TEXAS
ARKANSAS ARIZONA. WHY IS THAT
THE CASE.
>> WELL THE OFFICE OF CIVIL
RIGHTS HAS INDICATED THAT
THEY'RE KEEPING
AN EYE ON THOSE STATES SCHOOL
DISTRICTS THAT THOSE STATES
HAVE EITHER VOLUNTARILY
SUSPENDED THEIR MASK MANDATE
BAND OR THEY WERE SUBJECT TO
STATE LITIGATION. THAT RESULTED
IN THEM HAVING TO STOP HAVING
MASK MANDATE AND SO THOSE
STATES ARE IN A SOMEWHAT
DIFFERENT POSITION WHEREAS THE
5 STATES THAT RECEIVED THESE
LETTERS. THE OFFICE OF CIVIL
RIGHTS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
ARE STILL GOING FORWARD SAYING
YOU'RE NOT HAVE A MASK MANDATES
IN OUR SCHOOLS.
>> NOW IF THE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT DOES FIND THESE MASK
MANDATES ARE DISCRIMINATE WORRY
IT COULD WITHHOLD FEDERAL.
THAT IS WORTH NOTING SOME
CRITICS SAY IT BUT
ULTIMATELY HURT THE STUDENTS
THEMSELVES, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE
ON THIS.
>> IF THE DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION FINDS OUT THAT SAY
THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO MANDATE
MASKS.
>> IN SCHOOLS DISCRIMINATES
AGAINST STUDENTS, THE
DISABILITIES, THEN YES, THEY
ARE POTENTIALLY AT RISK OF
LOSING FEDERAL FUNDING WHICH
THEN PUTS THE ENTIRETY OF THE
SCHOOL AT A DISADVANTAGE,
HOWEVER IN PRACTICE, YES,
OFTENTIMES WHAT HAPPENS THAT
THESE INVESTIGATIONS IS
THAT THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
WILL REACH AN AGREED UPON
RESOLUTION BEFORE SOMETHING
LIKE A LOSS OF FEDERAL FUNDING.
ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
>> ALL YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING
BACKGROUND BECAUSE YOU'RE ALSO
A FORMER SPECIAL EDUCATION
TEACHER YOURSELF CAN YOU TELL
US MORE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
TEACHING STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES AND HOW IT'S NOW
INFORMING YOUR WORK.
>> IT IS IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS
WITH DISABILITIES TO BE IN A
SIMILAR ENVIRONMENT TO THERE IT
APPEARS THAT ARE WITHOUT
DISABILITIES AND THAT'S THE CAR
CONCEPT AND BODY WITH IN
SECTION 5 FOR THE AMERICANS
WITH
DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACTS
THAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO
HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF EDUCATION
IS THEY'RE NOT DISABLE PEERS
AND IT IS CRUCIAL
AND SO CERTAIN
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED STUDENTS
CAN'T COME
TO SCHOOL. DO YOU THINK THAT
THEY'RE A SEVERE DISADVANTAGE
IN A SPECIAL EDUCATION,
IT'S NEED TO HAVE THIS
INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM OF STUDY
SO THAT THEY CAN SUCCEED IN THE
WORLD. BUT I WOULD SAY THAT MY
WORK AS A CRIMINAL DEFENSE
LAWYER AND FORMER PUBLIC
DEFENDER AND FORMER SEN, LET'S
LET YOU CATION TEACHERS
ALL ABOUT STANDING UP FOR THOSE
ON THE MARGINS AND MAKING SURE
THAT
THEY HAVE ACCESS TO WHAT THE
REST OF THE WORLD HAS ACCESS TO
SO THERE IS SOME CONTINUITY IN
SOME CONSISTENCY I THINK IN
THAT WAY.
>> IF THEIR PARENTS
WATCHING YOUR INTERVIEW WHO ARE
STILL VERY NERVOUS ABOUT
SENDING THEIR KIDS BACK
TO SCHOOL. SPECIFICALLY KIDS
THAT MAY HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS
WHAT ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR THEM.
>> I WOULD ENCOURAGE THEM TO
TALK TO THEIR SUPERINTENDENT TO
TALK TO THEIR
SCHOOL BOARD AND SEE WHAT IS
BEING DONE IN RESPONSE TO THIS
INVESTIGATION. I DO
THINK THAT CERTAIN STUDENTS WHO
ARE PROHIBITED FROM SAFELY
RETURNING TO SCHOOL DO I HAVE
SOME SORT
OF POSITIVE ACTION WORK LAYING
HERE AND THEY SHOULD BE
ENTITLED TO PARTICIPATE FULLY
NOT JUST
ON ONE I SEE IF THEIR SCHOOL IS
IN SESSION THEY SHOULD FEEL
SAFE RETURNING TO WELL DESPITE
HAVING FOR
DISEASE OR SOME SORT OF IMMUNE
SYSTEM SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE
PARENTS TO ADVOCATE AS I'M SURE
THEY ALWAYS DO FOR THEIR CHILD
AND GO DIRECTLY TO THE
SUPERINTENDENT OR THE SCHOOL
BOARD.
>> MOLLY AND LASTLY BEFORE
BEFORE WE LET
YOU GO. I DO ALSO WANT TO ASK
YOU ABOUT THIS SENSE OF SAFETY
SPECIFICALLY
FOR STUDENTS WITH EDUCATIONAL
AND SPECIAL NEEDS DURING THIS
TIME WE KNOW THAT
THIS PANDEMIC HAS CERTAINLY
CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE OF SCHOOL
AND ALSO OPENED UP SOME MORE
VULNERABILITIES FOR TYPICAL
STUDENTS AND ALSO THOSE WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS WHAT DO YOU THINK
NEEDS TO BE DONE FROM MAY BE A
LEGAL STANDPOINT AND ALSO GIVEN
YOUR BACKGROUND TO ENSURE THAT
ALL STUDENTS ARE SAFE.
>> I THINK THAT THIS PAST YEAR
WAS A LOT OF STUDENTS HAVING
TED DO VIRTUAL SCHOOL AND WE'VE
SEEN ACROSS
THE BOARD THAT WE DO HAVE
DEFICITS AND RETENTION AND
UNDERSTANDING OF MATERIAL IT'S
BEEN VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOUR
AVERAGE GENERAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS TO SUCCEED WHEN THEY
WERE IN
THE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY YOU CAN
ONLY IMAGINE HOW THIS HAS
AFFECTED SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS
ARE USED TO HAVING A LOT OF
ATTENTION FROM A
PARAPROFESSIONAL FROM A TRAINED
TEACHER WHO KNOWS THERE
INDIVIDUALS WITH
DISABILITIES EDUCATION. I BET
THEIR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN
AND I THINK THAT WE REALLY ARE
ASKED SO MUCH AND MOVING
FORWARD
I THINK THERE SHOULD BE
SCRUTINY AS TO WHETHER SCHOOLS
ARE PROVIDING WHAT THE STUDENTS
NEED
ENFORCED THAT OFTEN IS IN
CONFLICT WITH THIS IDEA OF
EVERYONE WANTING TO
FEEL SAFE. BUT BEING IN SCHOOL
EDUCATION IS SO INVALUABLE AND
I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A
FOCUS OF SCRUTINY AS TO WHETHER
SCHOOLS ARE PROVIDING AIR ARE
WIRED TO PROVIDE 2 STUDENTS.