Howard County SECAC Agenda
June 17, 2020 General Meeting 7:00pm-9:00pm
Zoom Virtual Meeting
ORDER OF BUSINESS
Call to Order – 7:05pm
Welcome and Introductions
Purpose and Vision
The Howard County Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) advises the school system on the needs of students with disabilities. We collaborate with other community disability advocacy groups to improve special education and the lives of our students in Howard County, MD.
Announcements:
Nominations for next year's Board. Open positions include Secretary and Member at Large. Are there any nominations from the floor?
Things are complicated for voting this year because we can’t meet in person. Email Mai for info on exec board roles. We will be voting in the fall.
Any ideas on where to hold meetings? Let us know! Will use WLMS next year if not.
As always, keep an eye on our website as we update it when we receive new information!
Use of SECAC funds.
Have money to use. Unable to send parents to training because
Purchase books for a lending library.
Two books from Wrightslaw.
1 hour webinar to learn to use the books and then can share with other parents.
New TAB
http://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Special-Ed/TAB/TAB_20-09_Recovery_Efforts.pdf
FAPE – employment, higher education, independent living
Progress monitoring – helps record if the student is losing progress. Can use this for IEP meeting.
“Every LSS must address any loss of FAPE experienced” and those students may qualify for compensatory services.
Department of Special Education Updates – Janice Yetter
Great resource - https://marylandlearninglinks.org/
HCPSS is seeking input on how distance learning went. Students, families, staff.
ESY -Decision to make ESY online before MSDE decided to allow small groups of students into school buildings.
Small groups just like if it were in the school building.
Only SPED services. No enrichment activities.
Schedule will be sent out last week in June.
10 students or less assigned to a teacher.
Using Canvas and Google Meet the same as distance learning.
More live sessions. 1 to 2 live sessions per day.
RECC ESY will still be a coaching model because of the nature of young students.
Will be offering reading interventions.
Will be offering live related services. Dr Kinsler is working with their staff.
LexiaCore will be available as well.
Schedule:
1. ESY will run July 6 – July 30
2. M-F (M-Tz for RECC)
3. Any time between 8am-11am for Secondary
4. Any time between 9am-12 for ES
5. Any time between between 9:30am-12 for RECC
Questions
1. LexiaCore for middle school? No. Looking to identify something similar.
2. Synchronous vs asynchronous – One is live learning and one is letting students work at their own pace.
3. Why are related services now being offered live? – Legal requirements and licensing requirements for their providers for teletherapy. Also didn’t have the tools or capacity to do teletherapy. Started a few weeks ago. Teletherapy will continue in the fall.
4. Evaluations or re-evaluations – how will that work now that the restrictions have been loosened? Working on a plan to bring students in for face to face evals. Working on getting PPE, etc…
5. Teachers allowed back in the building, were they able to get their notes for progress reporting? Some teachers have been but not everyone.
6. Transition – 16-21 year olds, job sampling, etc.. CCE curriculum created as a part of a grant.
7. Live teaching in the fall? Yes.
8. SPED focused distance learning feedback? No but the other survey has info on that and text boxes to add comments.
9. Reading Interventions, SIPS specifically, could kids that didn’t qualify for ESY use it during the summer? No.
10. Is there a way for parents to be involved in decision making for the fall? Yes, there is a stakeholder group being convened – placeholder for SECAC. Vicky asked for focus groups (SPED, etc…). fall-input@hcpss.org Plan for the fall has to be approved by the state and submitted by July 10th.
11. Parent input forms for IEP meetings? Yes, should be continuing, let us know if it’s not.
12. Plan to increase live teaching? Yes.
13. Are QRIs available virtually? They are working on it.
14. Visually impaired students? Accessibility team is working on that. Hattie Simmons has been advocating to figure that out. Room to improve.
15. Limitation for materials for families? Packets being put together to deliver to families. Mailing is an option, but not sure.
16. Is there a way to survey parents with kids with disabilities, particularly at risk students, to let the school system know if they aren’t comfortable sending their kids to school? Yes, exploring a model for families that choose not to send their kids into the school building.
17. How does the DSE think distance learning is going? It’s been an experience. FAPE is guaranteed no matter what. Distance learning has helped the gen ed teachers understand how involved SPED needs to be. Distance learning has been hard on their hearts. Especially for students with complex needs.
18. PD for staff during closure? Providing enhanced professional learning both at the end of the school year and the beginning of next year.
19. Printed materials, large print? Yes, vision teachers are working on that.
20. Behaviors being back in the classroom? Yes, they anticipate working on this when students go back. Will have time during the day to work on that. For some students this has been a trauma and they will be mindful of that.
21. Paraeducators? They have not been furloughed. They have been working hard behind the scenes getting videos set up (closed captioning), setting up Google Meet, helping with data collection, etc…
22. Using paras for second instruction? Yes, but. Paras are supposed to be supervised by a teacher but they will be working on this.
23. Trauma informed? Yes! Big focus for us. Program innovation and student well being (Dr Walker) leading that work. Small group and information sessions shared with teachers. Working with their staff as well for their trauma.
24. Ideas for families that haven’t been able to access online instruction? First want to make sure it’s not device or internet access. If there are other issues they are working on that.
25. ESY for 504s? No, it’s not required through IDEA. Not goals objectives and skills in a 504. However, they do have summer programs for all students. For ES and MS, admin invite students that are below grade level. Parent choice opportunities. HS program innovation services.
26. Reconsider of ESY? ESY vs recovery guidance from MSDE. ESY is for critical life skills and given if a gap is expected over the summer. Answer would be the same now or back before this. Contact case mgr if they are unsure. For recovery, collect data and give this info to team.
27. How is data being collected? Teachers have been collecting data on ICOLP goals. Not all IEP goals are on the ICOLP.
28. Data collection webinar - https://youtu.be/Z0nDex-bSBI More resources on PPMD and SECAC website.
29. Redistricting? Any processes started before school will continue. School teams are collaborating.
Board of Education Updates – Vicky Cutroneo
Budget tomorrow. Able to add $11.2 million, 106 positions for SPED.
Board intros –
Co-Chair Stephanie Carr, former teacher, 3 kids with different disabilities. Reading. Founding member of DD HoCo.
Past Chair Lori Scott
Secretary – Beth Stolte
Vice Chair – Wendy Balda
Member At Large – Camille Cranson
Meeting topics
ADHD with CHADD
Email secacchair@gmail.com for more suggestions.
Next Meeting Dates
July and August are off for the summer. We will start up again in September. Keep an eye out for an email on how this will take place.
Adjournment
SECAC June 17, 2020 (pdf)
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