The Board’s Special Education Committee met on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 3pm. This was our last meeting of the school year.
You can find the materials here and the video of the meeting in English and in Spanish.
WHAT THE COMMITTEE LEARNED:
Parent and Community Engagement Opportunities for Families of Students with Disabilities
- Special Education Virtual Parent Workshops are available bi-monthly during October, December, February, and April and are 75 minutes each.
- Parents are informed of the virtual workshops, with messages sent an hour before the meeting begins. Various methods of communication are utilized, such as emails, posting on the website, text messages, and a monthly report for the Community Advisory Committee.
- The District utilizes Special Education Region Ambassadors for both in-person and online meetings who answer questions, distribute fliers, engage with the community, and more.
- Special Education Parent Newsletters are sent out in 3-4 volumes annually with a spotlight on the work going on at schools and parent workshops.
Early Childhood Special Education
- IDEA Part C – Covers children from birth to age 3, emphasizes natural environments, provides services for children and families, and defines Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP.)
- Collaborative classrooms have 12 students within their settings.
- Early Start Low Incidence Programs are available at home and hold family support groups, clinics, American Sign Language, and bi-lingual support.
- Six hundred referrals are done every month, and they come from parents, community organizations, doctors, and others.
Action Items:
- Presentation 1:
- Rivas: Wants to see the subgroup of Korean parents and the specific needs they have regarding their culture.
- Rivas: Wants a parent information session regarding mental health.
- Presentation 2:
- Scott: Wants to hear feedback on how successfully students transition from special education services to the general student population.