I'm Going to Really Miss JoLeta Reynolds

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JoLeta Reynolds died last Friday at her home in Rock Island, Tennessee. She was a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Special Education Programs of the U. S. Department of Education. She was only 67, and she had been fighting cancer for seven years. Here is an obituary.

This is a quote from a post I did about the JoLeta Reynolds Award, which is named after her, on July 13, 2007:

"JoLeta Reynolds is one of the best people on the planet. Many folks who work in special education know her well. She is a senior policy advisor for OSEP. She was instrumental in the re authorizations of IDEA, wrote the federal regulations after the 1977 reauthorization of IDEA and she was key in the writing of the new (2004 reauthorization) regs. She helps everybody who has a question. Many times she has helped me personally understand the nuances of the regs; she is very patient and supportive of me. She has persevered through obstacles that would stop many of us in our tracks. She is great!"

I would often call JoLeta when I had a question about the regs. A couple times, I played back messages from her that began in that kind voice, "Jim I don't think you're reading that regulation correctly." She would tell me when I got it wrong, but she never made me feel bad about it. She was always supportive of me.

The entire Special Education Law community has lost an amazing resource and a dear friend. This is a sad day.