October 2021 - Special Educator e-Journal



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Special Education Legal Alert

By Perry A. Zirkel

© September 2021

This month’s update identifies recent court decisions illustrating the IDEA issues of “stay-put” and “reverse” attorneys’ fees.  For automatic e-mailing of future legal alerts, sign up at perryzirkel.com; this website also provides free downloads of various related articles and special supplements.

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    Buzz from the Hub

    All articles below can be accessed through login:

    • The Kid Zone! Make learning to read a shared adventure!
    • 10 Simple Grounding Techniques To Calm Anxiety
    • Dealing with Adolescent Behavior Problems: Top Tips for Parents
    • Revised Q&A on Providing Accessible Materials in the NIMAS Format
    • 2020 Annual Report to Congress in IDEA
    • “Dear Colleague” Letter to Special Education and Early Intervention Partners
    • Crisis Hotlines and Resources for Triggering or Traumatic Events and News
    • 10 Best Mental Health Apps of 2021
    • What Is Atypical Anorexia?
    • Advocating for My Child’s Literacy Needs
    • Parent Center Data Collection | 2020-21
    • Paraprofessionals
    • Try CPIR’s Mental Health Resources Page
    • Long COVID under Section 504 and the IDEA: A Resource to Support Children, Students, Educators, Schools, Service Providers, and Families
    • Anxiety in People Who Learn and Think Differently
    • Panic Attacks and How to Treat Them
    • 20 Tips for Supporting Team Mental Health
    • Putting the DEC-Recommended Practices to Work in Parent Centers
    • Part One | May 2021
    • Part Two | August 2021
    • Bonus Webinar | Act Early Ambassadors 2021
    • Just in Time Tool

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    New Guidance Reaffirms Importance of Full Implementation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

    This month, U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) sent a letter to its state and local partners reiterating its commitment to ensuring children with disabilities and their families have successful early intervention and educational experiences in the 2021-2022 school year.  

    This letter outlines a series of question and answers (Q&As) as children and students return to in-person learning. The Q&As focus on topics to help ensure that—regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic or the mode of instruction, children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and that infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families receive early intervention services.   

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    Using the DisCrit Lens to Engage Families From Minoritized Backgrounds

    By 

    Monique Matute-Chavarria, Ph.D.
    New Mexico State University

    Pricella Morris, M.Ed.
    University of Nevada, Las Vegas

    Monica R. Brown, Ph.D.
    University of Nevada, Las Vegas

     

    Abstract

    Family engagement has been identified as key to the success of students, the literature is replete with theory, research, and practices regarding how to intentionally engage them in the schooling processes of their child/ren. Family engagement has been found to be especially important for marginalized children (e.g., students with disabilities, children with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds). The literature suggests that a disability critical race theory (DisCrit) lens can be used to address families’ disengagement. The strategies in this article are presented through a DisCrit lens with the hope of increasing family engagement among families with children with disabilities. Using familial capital as a starting point, recommendations are presented for educators who work with families, particularly those from minoritized backgrounds.

    Keywords: family engagement, DisCrit, community cultural wealth model, familial capital, minoritized, marginalized

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    Modifying an IEP or 504 for Distance or Hybrid Learning

    As the year begins with distance or hybrid learning at most schools, many parents are worried that pre-pandemic IEP plans may leave students with disabilities without vital services.

    Luckily, IEP or 504 plans aren’t set in stone. If a parent is concerned that their child is struggling (or that they will be once class gets underway), it might be time to make some additions to the child’s plan to incorporate remote learning accommodations.

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    Q&A on Dispute Resolution in Part B and Part C During COVID-19

    Useful to Parent Centers, state education agencies, state lead agencies, and Part B and Part C programs regarding dispute resolution

    IDEA Part B Dispute Resolution in COVID-19 Environment Q&A Documents (4 pages)
    Answers questions such as:

    • How can parents and public agencies resolve disagreements regarding special education matters while school buildings and other public facilities are closed due to the pandemic?
    • Is a State educational agency (SEA) permitted to extend the 60-day time limit for resolving a State complaint due to circumstances related to the pandemic?
    • How can parents and public agencies use IDEA’s mediation procedures to resolve disputes when schools and other public facilities are closed or have restrictions that prevent face-to-face meetings?

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      Book Review: School Leadership that Works

      By Lauren Gonzalez

      Purpose and Thesis

      School Leadership that Works was written by Robert Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian McNulty in 2005. Its primary purpose is to combine research on effective school leadership practices with realistic implementation. It provides practical guidance for both experienced and novice leaders as they design a concrete plan to address daily challenges that come with leading in a school by translating the findings gathered by the authors of the book into specific recommendations to be used in schools. The book also features notes on all requisite technical information that is necessary to understand current research as well as an appendix section that contains a list of Cotton’s 25 leadership practices and 21 responsibilities that are explored in-depth within two of its chapters.

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        Book Review: The One Minute Manager

        By Tali Finestone

        The New One Minute Manager Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson is an updated version of what many consider to be one of the top texts from the 1980s about project management: The One Minute Manager. This latest version modernizes implementations towards present day situations while still reflecting the same methodology. The text follows the story of a young and eager to learn man seeking out an effective manager to train him. When the man finally encounters a manager how claims to be a ‘one-minute manager’, he is taught a leadership model that can be used by managers to strengthen their team’s performance, self-sufficiency, and enthusiasm.

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          Book Review: Improving Your Leadership Intelligence: A Field Book for K-12 Leaders by

          By Alexa Snyder

          Abstract

          In Improving Your Leadership Intelligence: A Field Book for K-12 Leaders Green and Leonard provide various situational judgement tests for five different leadership intelligence components as a way for the reader to improve their leadership intelligence. This review looks at the major themes of Improving Your Leadership Intelligence, discusses the book’s strengths and weakness, as well as comparing to other educational leadership text.

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            Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET 

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            * Network Director of Mental Health- Reporting to the Managing Director of Programs, the Network Director of Mental Health will be responsible for leading strategy across DREAM schools to ensure the mental health needs of all students are met. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual who has extensive knowledge of best practices in mental health for students. To learn more- Click here

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            * Special Education Teachers - Multiple Locations - BSI Solutions is currently seeking passionate Special Education Teachers with an interest in providing school-based services to students. To learn more - Click here

            * Director III, Special Education Procedural Support- Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the nation’s 11th largest school division, is seeking a proven educational leader to serve as Director, Special Education Procedural Support in the Department of Special Services.Located in the Washington, D.C. region, FCPS serves a diverse student population of more than 189,000 students in grades pre-K through 12, 14% of which receive special education and related services under IDEA. To learn more- Click here

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            Acknowledgements

            Portions of this or previous month’s NASET’s Special Educator e-Journal were excerpted from:

            • Center for Parent Information and Resources
            • Committee on Education and the Workforce
            • FirstGov.gov-The Official U.S. Government Web Portal
            • Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (JAASEP)
            • National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
            • National Institute of Health
            • National Organization on Disability
            • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
            • U.S. Department of Education
            • U.S. Department of Education-The Achiever
            • U.S. Department of Education-The Education Innovator
            • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
            • U.S. Department of Labor
            • U.S. Food and Drug Administration
            • U.S. Office of Special Education

              The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) thanks all of the above for the information provided for this or prior editions of the Special Educator e-Journal


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