[PDF] Williamsburg-James City County Special Education Advisory

WJCC Special Education Advisory Committee Annual Report 2015-2016 Page 1 of 4 Williamsburg-James City County Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Annual Report 2015-2016 PURPOSE: Advise the local school division of needs in the educ ation of children wi th disabilities; participate in the development of priorities and strategies for meeting the identified needs of children with disabilities; submit periodic reports and recommendations regarding the education of children with disabilities to the Division Superintendent for transmission to the local school board; assist the local school division in interpreting plans to the community for meeting the needs of children with disabilities for educational services; review the policies and procedures for the provision of special education and related services prior to submission to the local school board; and participate in the review of the local school division's annual plan. COMMITTEE MEMBERS: This year's SEA C membership is c omprised of individual s working daily to support t heir families and advocate for students with special ne eds in our comm unity. Their professional backgrounds represent the diversity of our community. Active SEAC members during the course of the year included higher education professionals, small business owners, c ommunity volunteers, stay-at-home and working parents, and persons with disabilities. Many of our parent members are caring for their children with special needs as well as other children in the family; some are also caring for elderly parents. Joshua Branson (Co-Chair) replaced by Chris Waskey, Bridget Claycomb (Secretary) replaced by Jennifer Heidel, Diana Delgado (Teacher/Member), Christine Tirone (Chair). STAFF/CONSULTANTS: Williamsburg/James City County (WJCC) Schools: Stephanie Bourgeois and Stacia Barreau School Board Representative: James Nickols, replaced by Dr. James Beers. Williamsburg James City County Parks and Recreation: Tracy Newsom MEETINGS: During the 2015-2016 school year, between September and May, SEAC held monthly public meetings except for the month of December 2015 due to school holidays. In addition to SEAC and community members, attendees included representatives from the Department of Special Education, the School Board, and the Inclusion Coordi nator for Williamsburg/James City County Parks and Recreation. SEAC offers a forum for community suggestions and concerns, as well as education and the exchange of information on available services and resources for people with disabilities. Our Guest Speakers & Discussions included: • Patricia Craft spoke about the Parent Resource Center. • Renee Savedge presented on the timeline for the special education eligibility process. • Jane Hersey presented on the Feingold Diet.

WJCC Special Education Advisory Committee Annual Report 2015-2016 Page 2 of 4 • Dr. Barreau presented on Special/General Education teachers' professional development, WJCC special education demographics, as well as SOL performance by subgroup. • Moms in Motion presented on Medicaid Waivers in Virginia. • Pam Mathias, M arilyn Schultz, Karen Armstea d presented on the Wilson Readi ng Program in WJCC Schools. CITIZEN COMMENTS & CONCERNS: • Opposing the use of mechanical restrain in WJCC's draft restraint and seclusion policy. • Opposing the use of restraint and seclusion in response to "quell a disturbance" in WJCC's draft restraint and seclusion policy. • Opposing the use of restrain and seclusion in response to "damage to property" in WJCC's draft restraint and seclusion policy. • Request to reduce the 15 day notification timeline in draft restraint and seclusion. Ideally parents notified "as soon as possible." This has more alarming consequences for non-verbal students and students with disabilities that impact communication. • Parent and student concerns about assistive technology: not used enough, teachers aren't aware of the "bring your own device" policy (students getting in trouble for using their own device), and assistive technology not easily re-implemented from one year to the next. • Desire to include instructions for accommodations on SEAC's citizen comment form, our local school board's form, and state citizen comment forms. • Concern about new middle school's accessibility and whether school is designed with students with disabilities in mind. Parent calls for SEAC to have a role in planning, architects to consult with teachers who work with students with disabilities. • Accessibility features in current buildings do not always work (automatic doors, etc.). • Does WJCC have an Autism/Asperger's expert and, if so, are they available to attend IEP meetings and/or talk with parents? • Request that SEAC do a better job addressing previous citizen comments and updating members on how SEAC /WJCC School Division addressed each issue. • Many parents cannot attend SEAC meeting. Can we phone-in/televise SEAC meetings? • Difficult for parents to navigate transition services. Do we have a transition specialist? ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: • Increased disability awareness in the community and WJCC School System by manning tables at School Open Houses and Back to School Nights and The Destination Recreation Expo for James City Parks & Recreation. • Beth Haw regularly attended State SEAC meetings providing a continuous presence for our local SEAC at these meetings. She also relayed important information from these state meetings to our local SEAC. • Collaboration with WJCC School System: At each meeting we received reports from the Department of Special Education, who sent several representatives to every meeting. After presentation, representatives responded to SEAC member and meeting attendees request for further information. Information was shared through social media and meeting minutes.

WJCC Special Education Advisory Committee Annual Report 2015-2016 Page 3 of 4 • Collaboration with WJCC School Board: This is our sixth year with an assigned WJCC School Board Representative. Mr. Nikols and Dr. Beers were helpful on all questions regarding working with t he School Board. Dr. Beers was particularl y helpful as he secured open enrollment for SEAC until we have more members. Their involvement created a positive atmosphere, and they quickly answered citizen questions during SEAC meetings. • Impacted positive change in regards to drafting of new District Restraint and Seclusion policy which was then approved by the School Board. RESULTS OF GOALS FOR 2015-16: 2015-16 Goal Result During Disability Awareness Month, a resource will be sent to parents informing them of all disabilities. The resource will direct concerned parents to information in the community and online. Restated as a 2016-2017 goal. SEAC will implement the newly amended bylaws consistently and accurately.In progress Increase attendance at SEAC meetings and the number of committee members. Update and improve our brochure so that it appeals to parents of all students with disabilities. In progress General education teachers who teach in inclusion classrooms should receive the same training as the special education teachers who are in inclusion classrooms. Met SEAC will advocate for the Wilson Reading Program at school board meetings and, if needed, budget meetings. We feel the district's efforts to place at least one Wilson Reading Program trained/certified teacher at each elementary school is important, and this program should continue to be funded and expanded to train teachers in the middle schools as well. Met SEAC wishes to encourage transparency regarding demographic information of the population of students with special needs and available resources in WJCC, by school, and the process of obtaining special education services in the district. We will request that the School District update us annually on demographic information. Met Encourage the Parent Resource Coordinator to direct parents with questions to visit SEAC meetings for direction to the proper WJCC resources. Met SEAC will establish subcommittees to address needs including membership and information dissemination. Not met Continue to advocate for the needs of students with disabilities in a professional manner, and find ways to Ongoing

WJCC Special Education Advisory Committee Annual Report 2015-2016 Page 4 of 4 collaborate with and support the School System. SEAC GOALS FOR 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR: 1. Increase SEAC membership. 2. Build relationships with parents, teachers, and administrators. 3. Increase community awareness of SEAC. 4. Review and update all documents related to SEAC. 5. SEAC would like to be more proactively involved in decisions that directly involve the special education population. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR: 1. Encourage the District to consider hiring of a Behavioral Specialist. 2. Request inclusion of SEAC in the early stages of drafting policy and program development for issues that impact the special education population. 3. Explore improved access and implementation of appropriate assistive technology for the special education population. Conclusion SEAC respectfully submits the aforementioned goals and recommendations to the WJCC School Board. Membership continues to be a priority for us, and we appreciate the district's support in our efforts to reach parents of students with disabilities. SEAC thanks the WJCC Special Education Department administrators for increasing the number of Wilson Reading-trained teachers in the elementary schools, their attendance at our monthly meetings, and their continued efforts to improve our children's education. We are grateful to the James City County Recreation Center for providing a space to meet and for giving us a dedicated and helpful representative. A representative from SEAC will attend the June School Board meeting to present a summary of our annual report. Respectfully Submitted on [DATE] by the 2015-2016 WJCC SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE