The California Department of Education (CDE) Special Education Division (SED) is working with school districts and California Parent Organizations to gather information on how well parents think their child's school is partnering with parents of students with disabilities. Through use of a survey tool adapted from the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring, CDE-SED will gain valuable insight from parents on their perceptions related to parent involvement. Local Education Agencies and California Parent Organizations will have access to parent response data by region. This information will be helpful in determining potential content for parent/professional training.
Read more at Supporting Early Education Delivery Systems (SEEDS) website HERE.
Survey HERE.
The CAC sponsors this blog for everyone in the Mount Diablo Unified School District community who has an interest in special education and students with special needs.
Showing posts with label california special education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label california special education. Show all posts
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Monday, May 7, 2012
Report: SF School District Violated Special Education Laws. Parents say state has failed to enforce regulations
Parents say state has failed to enforce regulations
The San Francisco Unified School District has violated more than 100 special education regulations in the past year, according to a recent report by the California Department of Education. The violations include failing to properly assess students’ disabilities, implement federally mandated services and employ qualified staff to work with special-needs students.
According to the report, the district has failed to adhere to "individualized education programs," legally binding agreements between the district and parents that detail how it will meet the needs of students.
“They’re not implementing their IEPs as written,” said Donna DeMartini, an education programs consultant for the Department of Education. “It’s a huge problem.”
DeMartini and Elizabeth Blanco, who joined the district in February as assistant superintendent of special education, discussed the report with parents last week at a meeting of the district's Community Advisory Committee for Special Education. DeMartini told the group that the department reviewed 85 randomly chosen files of children and found 502 violations of 106 state education code regulations.
Blanco acknowledged the problems raised in the report, but said a system as large as the San Francisco school district “doesn’t change overnight.”
“We have a lot of work to do to make San Francisco special education better for parents, students and support staff,” Blanco said. “The district has had a long standing mistrust with parents of special education students, along with teachers.”
More than 6,000 students with physical, emotional or developmental disabilities attend San Francisco public schools. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, passed by Congress in 1990, requires school districts to provide those children with a “free and appropriate education” from the age of three.
Some parents blame state regulators for the district's failure to comply with the special education laws.
“When citizens break the law, they go to jail, but when the district does it, nothing happens,” said Katy Franklin, the mother of a child with autism and the chairwoman of the committee. “What the California Department of Education does to remedy school district noncompliance is equivalent to swatting the flies instead of removing the crap from the room."
Franklin, along with other parents, is part of a lawsuit filed last month, claiming that school districts across California are failing to comply with federal laws without reprisal from the state and spending taxpayer dollars on outside law firms to fight families seeking services for their children.
The San Francisco Unified School District has violated more than 100 special education regulations in the past year, according to a recent report by the California Department of Education. The violations include failing to properly assess students’ disabilities, implement federally mandated services and employ qualified staff to work with special-needs students.
According to the report, the district has failed to adhere to "individualized education programs," legally binding agreements between the district and parents that detail how it will meet the needs of students.
“They’re not implementing their IEPs as written,” said Donna DeMartini, an education programs consultant for the Department of Education. “It’s a huge problem.”
DeMartini and Elizabeth Blanco, who joined the district in February as assistant superintendent of special education, discussed the report with parents last week at a meeting of the district's Community Advisory Committee for Special Education. DeMartini told the group that the department reviewed 85 randomly chosen files of children and found 502 violations of 106 state education code regulations.
Blanco acknowledged the problems raised in the report, but said a system as large as the San Francisco school district “doesn’t change overnight.”
“We have a lot of work to do to make San Francisco special education better for parents, students and support staff,” Blanco said. “The district has had a long standing mistrust with parents of special education students, along with teachers.”
More than 6,000 students with physical, emotional or developmental disabilities attend San Francisco public schools. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, passed by Congress in 1990, requires school districts to provide those children with a “free and appropriate education” from the age of three.
Some parents blame state regulators for the district's failure to comply with the special education laws.
“When citizens break the law, they go to jail, but when the district does it, nothing happens,” said Katy Franklin, the mother of a child with autism and the chairwoman of the committee. “What the California Department of Education does to remedy school district noncompliance is equivalent to swatting the flies instead of removing the crap from the room."
Franklin, along with other parents, is part of a lawsuit filed last month, claiming that school districts across California are failing to comply with federal laws without reprisal from the state and spending taxpayer dollars on outside law firms to fight families seeking services for their children.
Read more of Trey Bundy's The Bay Citizen article
HERE.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
DREDF Workshop: Understanding the Special Education Process: IEP Basics & Beyond
FREE: An overview of the special education process, Section 504, and IDEA laws.
Date: Second Monday of the month (except August and December)
Next Offered: February 13, 2012
Time: 6:00 – 8:30 pm (Pizza and soft drinks included!)
Where: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St, Berkeley, CA 94703 at Ashby BART
Classroom: Bernard Osher Education Center
More details HERE.
Date: Second Monday of the month (except August and December)
Next Offered: February 13, 2012
Time: 6:00 – 8:30 pm (Pizza and soft drinks included!)
Where: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St, Berkeley, CA 94703 at Ashby BART
Classroom: Bernard Osher Education Center
More details HERE.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces New Director to Head Department's State Special Schools and Services Division
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that Scott D. Kerby has been selected as Director of the California Department of Education's State Special Schools and Services Division.
"I am pleased that Scott is coming on board as our director of State Special Schools, bringing with him more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience," said Torlakson. "Scott has already spent several years at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside so he is well-situated to understand and support the culture, issues, and structure of these vital communities."
See CDE News Release HERE.
"I am pleased that Scott is coming on board as our director of State Special Schools, bringing with him more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience," said Torlakson. "Scott has already spent several years at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside so he is well-situated to understand and support the culture, issues, and structure of these vital communities."
See CDE News Release HERE.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Join the California Special Education Advisory Committee
Did you know that there is a Special Education Advisory Committee that advises the California Department of Education's Office of Administrative Hearing? The committee provides non-binding recommendations to the Office of Administrative Hearings for improvements to the special education hearing and mediation process. Examples of areas the committee advises on are: revisions to the OAH website, forms, documents, scheduling procedures, staff training, training materials, the parent procedure manual, the consumer brochure, outreach to families, and proposed revisions to laws and rules.
The Office of Administrative Hearings is now accepting applications to join the Advisory Committee. Membership on the committee is voluntary and each committee member serves a one year term. New applications are accepted each May. To apply for Advisory Committee membership, please submit the completed and signed application, as well as a statement of interest outlining your experience and other reasons why you wish to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee. Applications are due by the close of business on May 28, 2010.
The Advisory Committee is composed of two regions, the Southern California Region and the Northern California Region and meets twice per year. One meeting is held in each region in October and April. Advisory Committee members are expected to attend their regional meeting in October and April and may be consulted between meetings. All meetings are open to the public and a period of public comment will be included at each meeting. Our regions' meetings are held held in Sacramento at the California Department of Education, 1430 N Street, Room 1101.
Further information on the role of the Advisory Committee is contained in the Scope of Work between the California Department of Education and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Information on past activities of the committee can be found HERE. Meetings are also broadcast by live webcast.
The Office of Administrative Hearings is now accepting applications to join the Advisory Committee. Membership on the committee is voluntary and each committee member serves a one year term. New applications are accepted each May. To apply for Advisory Committee membership, please submit the completed and signed application, as well as a statement of interest outlining your experience and other reasons why you wish to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee. Applications are due by the close of business on May 28, 2010.
The Advisory Committee is composed of two regions, the Southern California Region and the Northern California Region and meets twice per year. One meeting is held in each region in October and April. Advisory Committee members are expected to attend their regional meeting in October and April and may be consulted between meetings. All meetings are open to the public and a period of public comment will be included at each meeting. Our regions' meetings are held held in Sacramento at the California Department of Education, 1430 N Street, Room 1101.
Further information on the role of the Advisory Committee is contained in the Scope of Work between the California Department of Education and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Information on past activities of the committee can be found HERE. Meetings are also broadcast by live webcast.
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