DREDF Workshop on Advocacy Tips

Due to the Shelter in Place order, all of our in-person trainings are suspended for the time being, but there's an online training: 

Advocacy Tips coming up on June 8, at 7:00 pm

FREE TRAINING! Good advocacy skills help parents obtain the supports their children need. Learn skills to ensure that IEP members truly hear your perspective, take you seriously, and know that you understand the IEP process and your rights.

Where: Zoom

You can register on Eventbrite.

The PTI IS available to answer calls and emails although there may be delays due to the needs of staff working from home.  Thank you for your understandng!

To contact the Parent Training and Information Center at DREDF, call (510) 644-2555 ext 5227 or email us at  iephelp@dredf.org.

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California Parent and Youth Helpline

The California Parent and Youth Helpline provides support and resource referrals to parent and youth during the current COVID-19 pandemic, 7-days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.  

Call or text 1-855-4APARENT (855-427-2736) for services in English, Spanish and other languages.  

For more information, please visit: https://caparentyouthhelpline.org/.

For more information about Special Education in Mt. Diablo Unified School District, please email shenh@mdusd.org or check out our website.  

Free Parent Webinars and Teen/Parent Meetings

Do I Need to Worry about My Child Falling Behind? - Webinar

TODAY! | 6:30 - 8:00 pm, PST   Register here and for information on more Webinars!

End of Year Drop Off/Pick Up Items at MDUSD Sites

As the school year is coming to a close I know that some of you may be going on campus to drop off your Chromebooks, library books and pick up your students' supplies and personal items in the next few weeks.

Here are a few tips for you as you go on campus:

• Leave your children at home, one person should go to pick up/drop off
• Make sure to go at the scheduled time for you or speak to the administrator about an alternate time to attend.  
• Bring the school items including library books to drop off be sure to pick up your child's personal belongings
• Wear your mask or face covering appropriately at all times. 
• Make sure to follow all directions and signs established at the site 
• Remember to maintain social distancing of 6 feet 
• If your child is doing ESY you should maintain your Chromebook for ESY activities. 

If you need additional assistance or have further questions please feel free to reach out to me at shenh@mdusd.org or check out our website.

Engaging in Online Meetings and Classes

Online meetings and classes can be awkward and challenging to engage in for all participants.  Setting your child and yourself up for success and managing expectations can be helpful ways to make the meetings a success!  

Tips to help your child engage and access their cyber "classroom": 

• Tell your child ahead of time about the class meeting and prepare them on what to expect, give warnings and countdowns to the meeting time. 
• Perhaps your child is nervous about the meeting and does not like the attention from the being viewed online, these are situations where you may need to offer rewards for their participation.  
• Be prepared ahead of the meeting: Make sure you know all the items and supplies your child may need for the meeting.  No matter what always have a pencil and paper in case they need to write something down.  Make them get all of their personal care done prior to the meeting as well; for example have them eat a meal or snack prior and use the restroom.  
• Make sure they have a quiet space set up away from distractions so they can hear and have full attention on their classroom activity.  
• Make sure they know how to use the tools they are on during the meeting, perhaps sitting with them the first time to help.  For example, mute when not talking and then unmute to talk, raising your hand online,  how to ask a question, etc.  
• Follow up with them after the meeting to see their thoughts and feelings, any questions they ,ay have  about it and discuss and find ways to make it better next time if needed. 

Tips for a smooth and successful virtual IEP meetings for you: 

• Ask for documents to review ahead of time or share any documents you would like to review ahead of time.  
• Have all information in front of you or open on your computer to review during the meeting.
• Choose a time that works for you to have your full attention.  
• Make sure to have your children set up with a highly engaging activity that will take up the entire time of the meeting or ask another adult in the household (if available) to be present to help with children in case they need anything.  
• Have paper and a pen with you just in case.  
• Make sure to mute your microphone when you aren't sharing anything.  
• Make sure you know how to use the tools so that you can participate fully and when needed.  For example, make sure you are able to unmute quickly if you want to ask a pertinent and timely question.  
• Be patient!  Know that it may not be perfect and all are learning this new way of holding meetings but at least it can be accomplished and as we continue these meetings will get easier!  
• Don't worry if you get an untimely disruption, these things happen and will continue to happen as people are working at home and their children are home too.  

Check out this useful website Understood for current updates, useful tools on Visual Schedules for morning routines, Learning Contracts, and much more helpful information for parents.  AND if you need any assistance please feel free to reach out to us!  Email me at shenh@mdusd.org or our special ed. website.  

ALL MDUSD Schools may be closed but we’re still HERE TO HELP!

As we are all overwhelmed trying to navigate and manage our new normal of working from home, school from home, online classroom and meetings I want you all to know that your resources of support are still here for you and ready to support you in any way possible.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time.

Hilary Shen, MDUSD's Parent Liaison is available via phone at (925) 207-2200 or email shenh@mdusd.org to help you through these challenging and ever changing times. 

Resource Parents offer parent-to-parent support, click here for the page to direct you to the English and Spanish link to their contact information or contact the Parent Liaison for their email address.  Please be patient as responses may take longer to respond due to current circumstances. 

Check out the MDUSD Website for updated information at mdusd.org. 

Enjoy your spring break and a well deserved break from online at home school work and look for new articles daily starting April 13^th.  Have any ideas of ways to support families or information to share, please let us know.  Register to receive updates via email from the CAC Blog at mtdiablo.sped.blogspot.com.

CAC Meeting Reminder! Tuesday February 3rd at 7:00 pm

The Community Advisory Committee  has a new location on Tuesday, February 3rd at 7:00 pm
Gregory Gardens Elementary Library
1 Corritone Ct.
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Special Autism Presentation: The California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) presenters will provide information for parents and school staff to support the understanding and use of evidence based practices for individuals affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders in the school setting. 

the CAC is the Community Advisory Committee which is made up of parents and educators and represents the community and advises the Board of Education on matters involved Special Education Programs and Services in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. 

A Spanish Language Interpreter will be present at the meeting for free! 

Need more information? Contact Hilary Shen, MDUSD Parent Liaison at (925) 682-8000 ext. 4297 or shenh@mdusd.org

CAC Meeting - Tuesday, September 2, 2014 at 7 p.m.

CAC Meeting
Tuesday September 2, 2014
7 p.m.
Dent Center Board Room
1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord, CA
All are welcomed!
Meet the new Director of Special Education and find out what is happening in MDUSD Special Education!

Bring a friend!

Agenda

MDUSD Transportation Information by Denise Lambert, CAC Vice Chair

MDUSD Transportation Information for Special Education Students (see full doc HERE)

Here are some special education transportation updates per my meeting with Jeff McDaniel  (Executive Director, Operations) Tom Bishop (Transportation Service Coordinator) and Wendy Aghily (Director of Special Education) on August 19, 2014:

Staff has been working all summer and has implemented changes during ESY to make transportation for the students run efficiently.

 If you have not heard from your student’s driver by Friday, August 22, please contact the transportation department at 925-682-9733 x3710.  Make sure that your transportation information was received by the department at least 2 weeks ago.

If your student’s information was not submitted to transportation, it will take 2 weeks for the information to be processed and for your student to receive transportation services.

There are enough drivers to start the school year.  There are 3 driver instructors who will teach classes every 6 weeks.  2 instructors will be available substitutes for drivers who are absent.   Training will be occurring to staff permanent substitute drivers who will perform other duties in the department when they are not driving.  These drivers will know all the routes and be able to jump in when a driver is absent.

All routes should remain the same, but the drivers may change because of the contract with the union and the drivers’ bidding process.  Any changes will go in effect on Monday, September 29, 2014.  Please prepare your students for that possible change.  Please contact your program specialist if you need information to help with that transition.

The transportation department is requesting the following:

Please have your student ready on time.  If your student is late, it affects the schedule of all the other students on that route.

Be aware that there is road construction in many areas – particularly in Pleasant Hill near College Park.  The routes are scheduled by GPS to be the most efficient.  They are scheduled to arrive at the schools 20 minutes before school starts to insure that the student gets there in time and a time buffer has been added.  They cannot account for delays caused by traffic or accidents.  If your student has not arrived between an hour and an hour and a half after school, please call transportation immediately.

There is only one drop off and one pick up location per student.

For non-emergency calls, please contact the transportation department between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

For all calls, please have your route number, if possible.  This should be on the outside of the bus.  The driver’s name is useful, too.

If you student is having a behavior problem on the bus, please contact your program specialist.

If there will be a change of address, please contact the transportation department as soon as possible.  It takes 2 weeks for changes to be made.

Get To Know Your CAC Sub-Committees - An Interview with Denise Lambert

What is the Name of your CAC Sub-Committee?

I am the chairperson of the CAC Legislative Committee

What is your committee all about? 

Our committee follows and tracks bills that are of interest to the SELPA.  We receive an updated list each month compiled by the SELPA.  We follow, observe the changes that happen with each bill and report to the CAC and Board of Education in regards to those changes.  We also write to our assembly members and senators regarding the CAC’s position on the bills that we wish to support or oppose.. 

We attend the Legislative Sharing Day in at the Capitol where our mission is to meet with the Contra Costa County legislators.  We collaborate with our San Ramon and West Contra Costa County counterparts to advocate for our special need students.

We attend events where our legislators speak and participate in as many forums as we can.

What is the goal of your committee?

Our goal is to educate the legislators and the community on how each related bill and law affects special education, our students with special needs and their families.

How does your committee work benefit special education students?

We provide a voice at the State (and eventually, the Federal) level for our special needs students. 

Are you looking for more participation?  How can I be involved?

We are always looking for more members!  If you are interested in being involved, please attend a CAC meeting.  I can also be reached at deniselambert@ymail.com.

Parent Input Meeting for Special Education Self Review

Reminder: Don't forget to attend the Parent Input Meeting on November 1, 2012 at 6:30 pm. 

The Mt. Diablo Unified School District invites you to a meeting for parents and guardians of special education students. This will be a chance for you to tell us about the special education services your child has had. We are also interested in learning about your child’s experiences in the programs the school district provides for infants, toddlers, children, and youth. We would like to hear about what you think works and what areas could be made better.

The parent or guardian meeting is an important part of the California Department of Education’s Special Education Self Review process for school districts. It is one way that school districts can examine their compliance with the law as stated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This meeting is designed to gain as much information as possible from parents and guardians about key areas in the district’s implementation of IDEA.

WHERE: Board Room at the District Office 1936 Carlotta Drive
Concord, CA 94608.

WHEN: November 1, 2012

TIME: From: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m

Please attend to share your input and give feedback!  Click to see information letter in  English or Spanish.  If you cannot attend the input meeting please complete the Survey (Spanish Survey) and return to MDUSD Special Education Department, 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord, CA 94519. 

The FCMAT Transportation Report is being discussed at the Mt. Diablo School District Board of Education Meeting

Monday, September 24, 2012

   6:30pm  (please notice the early time)

   School District Board Room
1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord

Parents - please attend the meeting and share your thoughts with the board members. 

FCMAT report HERE.

MDUSD APPOINTS INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PUPIL SERVICES

At last night's MDUSD Board of Education meeting, the board unanimously voted to hire Dr. Kerri M. Mills as the Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Services and Special Education.

Dr. Mills is coming to the District from the Santa Barbara Unified School District holding the position of Assistant Superintendent of Special Education

The Executive Committee of the MDUSD Community Advisory Committee had an informal meeting with Dr. Mills on Sunday and are looking forward to working with her.

Read more about Dr. Mill's professional accomplishments at the Santa Barbara Unified School District website HERE.

Read more about Dr. Mill's work with the Santa Barbara USD special education community HERE.

MDUSD Special Education Update

By Theresa Harrington
Friday, August 24th, 2012 at 7:59 pm in Education, Mt. Diablo school district,special education.

Mt. Diablo special education administrator Carolyn Patton has posted a special education update on the CAC blog, reiterating the district’s previous commitment to hold parent meetings in September to discuss transportation changes. However, the update still does not list any times, dates or locations for these meetings.

The post also links to updated Frequently Asked Questions at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/1jYYWk0faJA6qqtaws10PqRSLZ3igqUS7IQvJYiptBxZRv5vZu8RBIx7rz2D0/edit?pli=1#

Here is the first question and answer regarding the FCMAT transportation report:

Q: “When will the final report be available?”
A: “We have received and released the draft report. We do not have a final report, but it will be released when received.”

This is very interesting, since the district has not publicly presented the draft report to the CAC or board. In fact, Trustee Cheryl Hansen said she has not received it. Although Superintendent Steven Lawrence inadvertently sent it to me, he has not mentioned it to trustees during board meetings since then. Neither has Patton. So, it’s unclear what is meant by: “We have received and released the draft report.”

Read more of Theresa Harrington's On Assignment article HERE.

After 17 Years, MDUSD Board Member Ready to Move On

Please note that this a copied from The Concordian  page :

The year that Gary Eberhart first joined the school board for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District was the same year that the first Pixar, “Toy Story” movie came out. Seal’s “Kiss from a rose” and Bryan Adams’ “Have you ever really loved a woman,” shared frequent airplay time, and in Concord, Waterworld, USA opened its doors.

Eberhart, who at the time was on a committee tasked with finding people to run for a seat on the board, found himself in the running. A student of Ygnacio Valley High, class of 1981, he knew that public education was a mixed bag; on the one hand a necessary component of readying young people for adult life, while on the other hand often boring and irrelevant to his needs.

“On the first day of my senior class I told my counselor – we had counselors back then – that I wasn’t feeling motivated and wasn’t progressing,” Eberhart recounted. “I had been considering taking the GED and ending that experience.” Instead the counselor told him that “if you leave school you’ll never amount to anything.” He left anyway, took, and passed, the GED and by the time his friends graduated high school he had already completed a year at Diablo Valley College.

“Tons of kids are not on the college track.” Eberhart believes their needs are not being addressed. “Those demographics are not well represented on the board to this day,” he says.

And so he found himself elected to the board, the youngest of the board members and the only one without a college degree. “I was 32 years old, full of vigor and matching wits with people with degrees.” It was, at first overwhelming, but he quickly immersed himself in understanding what, to this day, he considers essential knowledge if you are going to serve on the board; budgets and how the public school system works, not just in theory, but through experience.

“During his tenure, bond measures were passed which allowed our facilities to get much needed repairs and improvements,” says district Board President Sherry Whitmarsh who has worked on the board with Eberhart since 2008 and whose seat comes up this year.

Read more of the Concordian article HERE.>

(From page 2 of the article: )

It has been a particularly difficult decade for public education in California. Massive expectations from programs like “No Child Left Behind,” and “Race to the Top” which often were not fully funded, placed burdens on districts whose budgets were slashed at a state level, requiring teacher layoffs, cuts to programs like high school sports and music. Some of these programs have since seen a partial revival due to private investment organized through parents and staff. And funding issues that show a disparity between Special Education and General Education leave many parents confused why education funds are not just evenly allocated.

"There are laws that decide what goes where," Eberhart explains."We can't change that." He also believes that things have yet to bottom out. A new bill in Sacramento allows further manipulation of education funding. "California tries to do too much for too many people," he says.

Special education gets a large amount of funding, approximately $80 million year. "You would expect for that money you would be getting awesome outcomes,” Eberhart says, “but we are not getting these outcomes. There needs to be a fundamental change in education. Everything has become
about politics." That includes the news coverage about district activities.

(Read more of page 2 of this article HERE and scroll down to page 2)

MDUSD appears to misrepresent some information in letter to parents about special education transportation changes

By Theresa Harrington
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012 at 6:31 pm in Education, Mt. Diablo school district.

Although a June 20 letter to some Mt. Diablo district parents appears to attribute details about upcoming transportation changes to an outside agency, I have found that the district actually generated some of the information itself.

The letter includes drastic changes in special education busing procedures, including one that is being implemented “immediately,” one that will go into effect Aug. 26 and one set to begin Jan. 7.

According to the letter, the changes were based on a “Financial Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) study to assist with identifying more effective and efficient means to provide special education transportation.”

Yet, the district didn’t receive FCMAT’s draft transportation report until July 18 — nearly one month after the letter was written. The district had, however, received a June 5 letter from FCMAT outlining some of its preliminary findings and recommendations.

The June 20 letter to parents states: “The study revealed that we are significantly overidentifying transportation as a related service for special education students. For example, the district currently provides transportation to 26 percent of our students with an IEP (Individualized Education Programs); however, in most districts reviewed by FCMAT the average was approximately 10 percent. The FCMAT team found that the district has an inordinately high number of parents who receive reimbursement in lieu of transportation services. One similarly sized district has only two parents who are paid in lieu while we reimburse 144 parents. In response to the FCMAT findings and recommendations, the district is modifying special education transportation services as follows.”

First, the letter states that parents will only be reimbursed for transporting students if the district is unable to do it.

Second, it states that special education students who attend their neighborhood schools will no longer receive transportation unless they have unique needs.

Third, it says some students will be picked up and dropped off at nearby schools, instead of at their homes, beginning Jan. 7. According to this “cluster model,” students would then be transported to and from schools that are farther away, the letter states.

But when I read FCMAT’s June 5 letter and July 18 draft report, I didn’t see any mention of the “similar sized district” referenced in the Mt. Diablo letter. So, I sent an email to Bill Gillaspie, chief administrative officer for FCMAT, pointing out that the information did not appear in its letter or draft report and asking which district it was using as a comparison, how many special education students it served and what percentage of them were transported to and from school.

Here is his emailed answer, which I received this morning:

“In response to your question, we did not give the district the ‘similarly’ sized district. We don’t know what district they are referring to, so I can’t tell you how many students with IEPs there are or how many are being transported. You are correct. We make no reference about this in the draft report. The district must have that information that they are referring to in their letter to parents.”

I also noticed that the draft report attributed the “cluster” idea to an analysis the district received “from a third party expert in special education law, compliance with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and best practices.”

“As a result,” the draft report states, “Mt. Diablo Unified is working towards clustering special education students at group stops where appropriate and training special education staff members in the IEP process and in determining whether transportation should be a related service. That same expert has developed a checklist that can be used in IEP meetings to help appropriately direct the provision of service.”

Read more of Theresa Harrington's On Assignment article HERE.

MDUSD transportation plans revealed

By Theresa Harrington

After raising questions about the Mt. Diablo school district’s plans for special education and transportation, I received two documents today — one from a parent and one from Superintendent Steven Lawrence.

Here is a letter sent to many special education parents regarding transportation plans:

“June 20, 2012

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please read this entire letter as it contains important information regarding changes for students who are eligible for transportation as a related service as part oftheir Individual Education Plan {lEP). All changes will commence during the 2012/2013 school year. The Mt. Diablo Unified School District (“District”) strives to provide quality educational programs in challenging fiscal times. As such, the District recently participated in a Financial Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) study to assist with identifying more effective and efficient means to proVide special education transportation.

The study revealed that we are significantly overidentifying transportation as a related service for special education students. For example, the District currently provides transportation to 26% of our students with an IEP; however, in most districts reviewed by FCMAT the average was approximately 10%. The FCMAT team found that the District has an inordinately high number of parents who receive reimbursement in lieu of transpol1ation services. One similarly sized district has only two (2) parents who are paid in lieu whlle we reimburse one hundred forty-four (144) parents. In response to the FCMAT findings and recommendations, the District is modifying speciial education transportation services as follows.

Parent Reimbursements. Effective immediately transportation reimbursements will only be offered when the District is unable to transport the student. Current parent reimbursement arrangements will be honored through extended school year 2012. Any new reimbursement requests require priorapproval from Angie Goakey, Transportation Supervisor.

Home School. Beginning August 26, 2012, students who receive special education services at their home school will not receive transportation unless the IEP team determines that a student’s unique needs require transportation

.

Cluster Model. Beginning on Monday, January 7, 2013, the District will transition to a School to School (Cluster) Transportation mode. Unless otherwise noted in a student’s IEP, all transportation for students with IEPs will be from school of residence to school of placement. High school students who live in the Bay Point area will have a cluster point (bus pick-up/drop-off location) at Riverview Middle School. Middle school students who reside in the former Glenbrook Middle School attendance area will have a cluster point at the Glenbrook site.
Transportation as a related service will be reviewed with you prior to January 2013. Any specialized transportation needs will be determined by the students IEP team and documented in an IEP. Students who are medically fragile or pose significant safety concerns to themselves or others will continue to be eligible for door to door transportation. Transportation services will be reviewed at your student’s annuallEP meeting, or earlier, if needed.

We understand these changes impact your child. It is our desire to work with families during this transition. To help with the transition and answer questions the district will be offering the following:

o Parent informational meeting(s) in September 2012 (dates and location to be announced)

o Website with information regarding transportation changes and frequently asked questions

o An email address available for sending specific questions regarding transportation

For assistance during the summer break please contact: Carolyn Patton, Administrator, Special Education, (925) 682-8000, Ext. 4187; or Angie Goakey, Transportation Supervisor, (925) 682-8000, Ext. 3709.

Sincerely,

Mildred D. Browne, Ed. D., Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Services and Special Ed-ucation
Greg Rolen, General Counsel”


The above document appears to be the letter referenced by Carolyn Patton on June 25 when she told the board about the FCMAT findings:http://youtu.be/LV93z1d7wIk
However, Patton said the draft letter was from herself and Rolen. Instead, the final letter sent out was signed by Mildred Browne and Rolen.

I also received the following email from Lawrence:
“Theresa,
I needed to check with Carolyn and I believe this is the letter you are referring to. It is a (sic) exit letter of the FCMAT audit.”

But the attachment he sent was not a letter. Instead, it was a draft Transportation Review from FCMAT (Fiscal Crisis & Management Team):http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=124831160

This report is dated July 18. That is one day BEFORE Lawrence sent me the email below, dated June 19, in response to my email asking for the FCMAT report and letter mentioned at the board meeting:
“That’s interesting because I have not received a draft or final report from FCMAT. I will have to check with Board members to determine where the reports they have received came from because to my knowledge no one at the district has received copies of the draft or final reports.”

So, it appears that Lawrence may have inadvertently attached the report that he previously claimed no one had received. It’s still unclear what document Patton was referencing when she told the board in June: “In response to the FCMAT report, we have already seen the preliminary findings….” She also said, “As I think you have all seen, the FCMAT study identified….”

Read more of Theresa Harrington's On Assignment article HERE.

MDUSD Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Meeting- Tuesday May 1st

CAC Meeting
Tuesday Night
May 1st at 7 p.m.
Dent Center
1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord
All welcomed! Bring a friend!

Reminder- CAC Meeting, Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m.

Mount Diablo Unified School District Community Advisory Committee for Special Education
Monthly Meeting

Tuesday, March 6
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Dent Center Board Room
1936 Carlotta Drive,
Concord, CA

All welcomed. Bring a friend!

MDUSD QIAT (Qualitative Indicators of Assistive Technology) Committee Meeting

You are invited to attend the QIAT meeting.

When: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Time: 8:15 a.m.

Where: Library at Woodside Elementary,

761 San Simeon Drive, Concord

(925) 689-7671

Who: All interested on AT (Assistive Technology) practices in the district.