State Special Education Advisory Committee Constituency Reports March 2019

1. State Special Education Advisory Committee Constituency Reports March 2019

2. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 2 of 20March 2019 Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) • Commendation: • Pre-ETS vendors have been approved

3. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 3 of 20March 2019 Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) • Concerns: • Parent involvement and response time for IEP meetings; pursuing an “add-on” feature to allow parent signature by electronic devises • Commendations: • “I’m Determined” Initiative • Transition services are working with ABLEnow representatives to educate students about program benefits

4. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 4 of 20March 2019 Superintendent (VASS) • Superintendents continue to monitor the following topics: • Implementation of the Profile of a Graduate • Student Academic Performance for student group performance on the School Quality Profile, particularly Students with Disabilities – Specifically, reporting criteria for small numbers of students (Small N) and credit for student progress (R10) • Accessing and providing appropriate resources and services that meet the needs of all students, as student needs are increasingly numerous, varied, immediate, and ongoing • Teacher recruitment and retention, particularly special education teachers • Adoption of restraint and seclusion regulations

5. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 5 of 20March 2019 McKinney-Vento Project HOPE-VA • Concern: • For the 2017-18 academic year, 20,393 students were identified as experiencing homelessness during some part of the year • 3,863 (19 percent) of these students had IEPs • Who is responsible for FAPE when students remain in their school of origin that is in a different LEA from the current residence? This is a frequent question

6. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 6 of 20March 2019 Higher Education • Commendation: • Supports proposed Regulations Governing the Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia

7. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 7 of 20March 2019 Private Schools • Commendation: • Hosting Spring Equity Conference

8. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 8 of 20March 2019 Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) • STATEWIDE trends from intakes this quarter include: • Medically fragile children being threatened with truancy court due to excessive absences, even though they have medical documentation and they are not being offered homebased services • Early Childhood LRE Trend-lack of preschool options for 3 year olds • Eligibility issues (received calls daily) • General IEP Questions/Concerns • Transition

9. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 9 of 20March 2019 Region 1 Parent Representative • Commendations: • VTSS involvement and strategies • Revisiting By-laws to modernize them to meet new demands • Concerns: • Inadequate staffing for para-professional • Broken trusting relationships between the school community and parent community • The principal of Trauma-Informed Care that trusting personal relationships are the key component not understood among some special educators and administrators

10. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 10 of 20March 2019 Region 2 Parent Representative • Concerns: • Transition services • Teacher shortage • Inclusion • Local funding for Student Support Monitors and School Psychologists • Recommendations: • Incentives to grow your own • Offer grants and classes for instructional assistants • Reduce licensure requirements and offer to help unsuccessful teachers

11. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 11 of 20March 2019 Region 3 Parent Representative • Concerns: • Surrounding parent involvement and participation • Early intervention identification • SEAC meeting not yet held this year • Remove the stigma of special education

12. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 12 of 20March 2019 Region 4 Parent Representative • Concerns: • Parental involvement • Regulations on the use of seclusion and restraint • Behaviors, mental health, and discipline • Transition and inclusion • Lack of local funding and teacher shortage • Commendations: • Resource fairs • PRC Workshops

13. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 13 of 20March 2019 Region 5 Parent Representative • Concerns: • Lack of special educators with adaptive curriculum endorsement • Commendations: • Work has begun for October 2019 Disability Awareness Month • Community engagement events are being planned • Engagement in local school community relations conversations related to the strategic plan

14. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 14 of 20March 2019 Region 6 Parent Representative • Concerns: • Bullying, of children and staff alike • SEAC membership and involvement continue to be a concern; meeting attendance varies • Functional Life Skills and Job Training Skills • Safety care for parents (Restraint & Seclusion) – The training has not been presented to the parents; this is still a great need • Medicaid information • Achievement gap with ESL students; lack of trainings for staff and support to meet the needs of ESL students • Post-secondary and transition education information

15. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 15 of 20March 2019 Region 6 Parent Representative • Commendations: • Parent informational presentations on a variety of topics at SEAC • Parent Resource Center (PRC) open house • PRC’s informational workshops

16. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 16 of 20March 2019 Region 8 Parent Representative • Commendations: • New parents at SEAC • Participation in the Critical Decision Points • Annual Plan • Concerns: • Notification and understanding the registration process for Critical Decision Points • Transition, Support Services, and Parental Involvement

17. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 17 of 20March 2019 Teacher • Concerns: • Want more money and time for planning, data collection and collaboration to develop best practices • Extended time to teach and mastery, for all students; but most importantly, a slower pace for SWD • GEN ED teachers are requesting PD on SPEC ED issues in the collaborative settings • Incentives and/or bonuses to retain seasoned SPEC ED teachers • Parental Accountability Plan, requesting parents to follow-through with recommendations made by IEP Teams during Eligibility and IEP meetings • Large caseloads, high expectations, and teacher shortage

18. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 18 of 20March 2019 Teacher • Commendations: • VDOE presentations, continued PD for school personnel and seminars for parents concerning Mental Health Awareness, Trauma Informed Care, and Transition

19. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 19 of 20March 2019 Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) • Board Updates: • Application deadline for Partners in Policy-making is March 15. • Developing public comment on the Seclusion and Restraint Regulations, working in Coalition for Improvement of School Safety. • We are developing public comment on DD Waiver regulations, Home and Community-Based Services Final Rule on Integrated Settings statewide transition plan amendment, and the renewal application for the Community Living waiver • Funding decisions on grants will be made at its June 12 meeting and will likely put out another competitive RFP

20. SSEAC Constituency Reports page 20 of 20March 2019 Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) • Board Updates: • Received information from a former SSEAC and VBPD Board member regarding concern about the interpretation of parent representatives who serve on the local education advisory council. The interpretation being provided by VDOE is different than that given a number of years ago in guidance to parents and local school divisions in that it allows teachers to serve as parent representatives on local councils. The Board encouraged the individual to submit public comment on this issue and also forwarded the issue to the SSEAC Chair to see if it could be a topic of discussion by the SSEAC.