WASHINGTON -- Three Wilton women urged President-elect Barack Obama and Congress Tuesday to enact legislation to protect disabled children from abusive seclusion and restraint practices in public schools.

Connecticut approved such protections in 2007, but a report released Tuesday by the National Disability Rights Network shows that about 40 percent of the states in the nation have no laws, policies or guidelines concerning restraint or seclusion use in schools.

This morning I gave my opening statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the nomination hearing of Secretary-Designate of State, Hillary Clinton. I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on a wide range of issues for many years, and I look forward to our continued partnership and to her leadership as Secretary of State. I have no doubt she will do a remarkable job.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Children and Families submitted the following statement today for the hearing to confirm Arne Duncan as the Secretary of Education:

"Today, we all recognize that if our children fall behind for a decade, America falls behind for a century. It’s that simple. But the flip side of that equation is that if we get the challenge of educating our children right—and I believe we can—everything else will follow. Whatever the issue, America’s leadership—its economic and national security—rests on her commitment to educate and prepare our children to succeed in a global economy, from pre-k to college... It is clear, Mr. Duncan, that we have much work to do... I believe you have the experience and heart needed to excel as Education Secretary, Mr. Duncan, and I look forward to working with you, Chairman Kennedy, and my colleagues on the Committee to provide a quality education to all children."

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, today issued the following statement on President-Elect Obama’s selection of Arne Duncan to be Secretary of Education.

“With the nomination of Arne Duncan to be Secretary of Education, President-Elect Obama has reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening America’s education system.  Reforming the inflexible No Child Left Behind Act will be one of our most urgent priorities in the coming months.  Arne Duncan understands the scope of the challenges we are facing, and I am confident that he will be an outstanding advocate for the education and enrichment of our nation’s children.”

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, today announced that October 16, 2008 will be recognized as “Lights on Afterschool Day,” a national celebration of afterschool programs.  This designation was made possible by this weekend’s Senate approval of a resolution introduced by Dodd and Senator John Ensign (D-NV).  Dodd and Ensign are co-chairs of the Senate’s Afterschool Caucus. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, today introduced legislation to provide low-income children with additional time in school during the summer before and the summer after the traditional kindergarten school year.  This legislation will ensure that more children enter the first grade with the tools they need to succeed in school.  The Sandy Feldman Kindergarten Plus Act would provide competitive grants to states to fund the creation of 12-month kindergarten programs. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today praised the passage of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007.  The bill, which will expand eligibility, improve accountability, strengthen school readiness and enhance teacher quality, will also bolster resources to Indian Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Early Head Start. The legislation passed unanimously.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today introduced legislation to address the critical issues facing our students concerning disparities in educational opportunities. The Student Bill of Rights Act of 2007 will help states provide students with the proper educational resources for success.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today hailed passage of the Head Start for School Readiness Act to strengthen and improve the federal Head Start preschool program.  The legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent last night.  Senator Dodd, a senior Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, has been working on the legislation since 2003 along with the Chairman of the HELP Committee, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).