[00:00:04]
[I. Welcome and Opening Remarks]
ALL RIGHT.UH, THANK YOU FOR, UH, JOINING US TODAY HERE IN PERSON AS WELL AS AT HOME.
UM, WELCOME TO THE FIRST SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE 26TH 27 SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME, MY NAME IS CARLA GRIEGO AND I'M THE BOARD REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISTRICT FIVE.
I'M ALSO A FORMER SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER FOR 20 YEARS IN L-A-U-S-D, AND I'VE, UM, HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING AS A CHAIRPERSON OF THE SPECIAL ED COMMITTEE FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
AND, UM, LAST YEAR'S COMMITTEE, WE DISCUSSED, UM, ACTION ITEMS AND TOPICS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE LISTEN AND LEARN CAMPAIGN, SUCH AS PARENT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATION, EDUCATOR PD AND TRAININGS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAININGS, STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN THE IEP PROCESS, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, AND POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS FOR OUR STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
IF YOU MISSED ANY OF THOSE MEETINGS, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK OUT THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL, THE DISTRICT'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL, WHERE YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THE PAST MEETING RECORDINGS.
AND IF AT ONE POINT YOU WANNA WATCH THESE MEETINGS, UM, YOU CAN ALSO LOG ON AND THEY ARE STREAMED LIVE.
UM, THIS YEAR, ONE OF OUR GOALS, UM, IN THIS COMMITTEE IS TO ADDRESS SOME SUGGESTIONS AND CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED IN THIS SPACE LAST YEAR.
AND WE WANT TO ADDRESS THEM VIA A DISTRICT POLICY OR RECOMMENDATIONS, AS WELL AS FOLLOW UP ON PAST BOARD MEMBER RESOLUTIONS RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE'VE COMMITTED TO IS HAPPENING AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING SOME DEADLINES AND GOALS, AND WE ALSO WANNA COME UP WITH SOMETHING NEW.
[II.1. Transition Services: Preparing Students for Life After High School]
TODAY WE WILL HEAR AN OVERVIEW OF THE TRANSITION SUPPORTS AND SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND L-A-U-S-D AS THEY PREPARE FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.THE DISTRICT OFFICE OF TRANSITION SERVICES SUPPORTS STUDENTS THROUGH TRANSITION ACTIVITIES, EMPLOYMENT AND UM, EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION AND TRANSITION ASSESSMENT AND COLLABORATION WITH AGENCIES AND FAMILIES.
AND LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO HEAR FROM SOME EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS WHO DESCRIBED HOW THE STUDENT WAS INVOLVED IN THE TRANSITION MEETING AND THAT MEETING FOCUSED ON STUDENT VOICE IN THE IEP PROCESS.
SO, UH, TODAY WE'RE GONNA LEARN ABOUT THE TRANSITION, UM, SERVICES THAT WE OFFER.
SO NOW I WANNA GIVE SOME SPACE, UH, FOR SOME OF THE OBSERVATIONS IN THIS.
THIS MONTH IN SEPTEMBER, WE OBSERVED NATIONAL DEAF AWARENESS MONTH, AND ON SEPTEMBER 23RD, IT IS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SIGN LANGUAGES RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED NATIONS.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE A LIGHT ON THE EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES FACED BY THE DEAF COMMUNITY, WHILE ALSO REMINDING US THAT INCLUSION BEGINS WITH A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY.
WE ALL SHARE A RESPONSIBILITY TO CREATE A WORLD WHERE COMMUNICATION IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, AND WHERE EVERY PERSON HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD, TO BE VALUED AND FULLY INCLUDED.
HERE AT L-A-U-S-D, WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON PROMOTING AWARENESS AND IMPROVING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING STUDENTS.
I'M EXCITED TO SHARE THAT AT A FUTURE COMMITTEE DATE, WE WILL BE HEARING FROM STAFF ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESOLUTION TITLED, RESTRUCTURED DEAF AND HEART OF HEARING EDUCATION, ELEVATE LANGUAGE EQUITY, ELIMINATE BIAS IN DEAF EDUCATION, AND IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES, WHICH THE BOARD PASSED IN 2022.
I WANNA THANK OUR COMMITTEE MEMBER, AMY BOGARTS, FOR ADVOCATING FOR THE DEAF COMMUNITY.
ALRIGHT, SO NOW I'M VERY HAPPY TO, UH, SHARE WITH YOU ALL THAT WE HAVE A VERY, UM, DIVERSE COMMITTEE HERE TODAY COMPOSED OF EDUCATORS, OF PARAPROFESSIONALS OF LABOR, REPRESENTATIVES OF PARENTS, AND A PSA COUNSELOR MOST WHO ARE ALSO PART OF THE COMMITTEE LAST YEAR.
BUT WE ALSO WELCOME SOME NEW MEMBERS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THEM A QUICK OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES, UM, AND OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR QUICK ROUND OF INTRODUCTIONS AND JUST TRY TO BE AS LEAN AS POSSIBLE IN YOUR INTRODUCTION.
UM, I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE MY TWO COLLEAGUES, UH, BOARD PRESIDENT, SCOTT SCH, MURSON, AND VICE PRESIDENT DR. RIVAS, WHO BOTH SIT ON THIS COMMITTEE.
GRATITUDE TO YOU BOTH FOR BEING A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION.
[00:05:01]
UM, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, UM, HAND IT OFF TO FOLKS.I WANT YOU TO SHARE YOUR NAME AND YOUR TITLE AS IN YOU ARE HERE AS A PARENT, AS A, AN EDUCATOR OR, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBER, LABOR REPRESENTATIVE IN THE SCHOOL AFFILIATION, AS WELL AS SHARE A MOMENT WHERE YOU FELT THAT YOU, YOUR STUDENT, OR YOUR CHILD BENEFITED OR FELT SUPPORTED BY A RESOURCE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO, UM, OR YOU, IF NONE OF THOSE APPLY TO YOU A TIME WHEN YOU OBSERVED THAT THERE WAS, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORTS FOR SOMEONE, UM, IN YOUR LIFE OR SOMEBODY, A STUDENT.
UH, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, UH, HAND IT OFF.
I'M GONNA START WITH THE LEFT SIDE.
THAT'S WHAT YOU DO IN, IN RJ CIRCLES.
'CAUSE YOUR HEART IS ON YOUR LEFT, SO YOU ALWAYS START ON THE LEFT.
SO I'M GONNA HAND IT OFF TO SCOTT SO THAT, THAT HE CAN LEAD US OFF IN THE INTRODUCTION AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND.
SCOTT MURSON, PRESIDENT, L-A-U-S-D, UH, BOARD OF EDUCATION.
I WAS AT ONE TIME THE PRESIDENT OF THIS COMMITTEE, AND, UH, YOU'RE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB, CARL.
SOTO, UH, REPRESENTING THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, A MOMENT THAT, UH, I OBSERVED THAT SUPPORTED A STUDENT WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES WAS A STUDENT THAT WAS RECEIVING SPEECH AND LANGUAGES, SPEECH AND LANGUAGE.
WHEN I WAS A TEACHER, I HAD A STUDENT THAT WAS HAVING SOME CHALLENGES WITH RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE.
SO, UH, AS A STUDENT PARTICIPATED IN SPEECH, WE STARTED TO SEE SOME GROWTH, AND ULTIMATELY THE STUDENT WAS EXITED, UH, AND HE STARTED TO MAKE GREAT GAINS IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO, UH, GREAT BENEFIT, UH, GREAT SERVICE THAT SUPPORTED KID TRANSITORY SERVICE THAT SUPPORTED KID AND WAS ABLE TO, TO, UH, EXIT.
I'M THE ADMINISTRATOR OF INSTRUCTION WITH THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I'M VERY PROUD TO BE HERE TODAY.
AND THE MOMENT THAT I THOUGHT OF WHEN BOARD MEMBER BROUGHT THIS UP IS WHEN MY BROTHER WAS A YOUNG CHILD AND STRUGGLED WITH READING AND WAS DISMISSED BY THE MOST PART, UM, IN HIS EARLY YEARS.
UM, BUT HE WAS, HE WAS NOT GETTING THE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THAT HE NEEDED, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY A NEED, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THAT NEED.
AND AS A RESULT, HE WAS, HE BECAME AN AVID READER.
HE BECAME A, A VERY DEVOTED AND COMMITTED STUDENT, UM, IN HIS OWN EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY.
I'M DENEEN COX, DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL AND THE OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL HERE AT L-A-U-S-D.
UM, I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE AS PART OF THIS SPECIAL ED COMMITTEE.
I THINK I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE DAY ONE OVER THE YEARS, AND, UM, IT, IT HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL ED.
OVER THE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE AT THE DISTRICT, I'M ABLE TO SEE THE GREAT SUPPORTS AND SERVICES THAT OUR DISTRICT PROVIDES, UM, TO STUDENTS.
AND IT IS JUST, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND TO HEAR WHAT YOU ALL HAVE TO SAY.
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD, UH, TO THIS COMMITTEE SEASON.
MY NAME IS MARIA DURAN AND I AM A VERY PROUD MOTHER OF A STUDENT WHO IS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I STARTED ON WHAT WAS MY EXPERIENCE IN SCHOOL.
I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE SERVICES.
AND AS TIME WENT BY DO BECAUSE OF A PARENT GROUP, THIS PARENT GROUP, WE STARTED TO ENGAGE A LITTLE MORE IN SCHOOLS AND ALSO IDENTIFY THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE ENGLISH LEARNERS WITH AN IEP.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US, BUT IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
AND SO I HAVE BEEN IN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEES, I'VE ALSO BEEN IN OTHER, UH, COMMITTEES IN OTHER SCHOOLS, AND DUE TO ALL THE OTHER PARENTS AND THEIR TRUST, AND WE'VE ALSO, I'VE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN DISTRICT LEVEL COMMITTEES.
AND I AM HERE REPRESENTING THE VOICES OF THOSE PARENTS THAT DO NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE, BUT I, BUT THEY CAN BE HEARD.
I'M A CITYWIDE, UM, EMPLOYEE, AND I AM A BIG PROPONENT OF EQUITY
[00:10:01]
AND DEAF EDUCATION.AND THANK YOU SCOTT SCHMO AND OUR FORMER BOARD MEMBER JACKIE GOLDBERG, FOR PUTTING THAT RESOLUTION TOGETHER AND GETTING US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
WANTED, THE SUPPORTS, UH, THAT WE OFFER OUR STUDENTS IS A, I OFFER ONE THAT'S VERY UNIQUE.
I AM A DEAF INDIVIDUAL AND I WORK WITH DEAF STUDENTS SO I CAN PROVIDE THEM WITH A DEAF MENTORSHIP.
I'M A ROLE MODEL AND ALL OF THAT, NOT ONLY FOR THE KIDS, BUT FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
THIS PAST WEEK, I BELIEVE IT WAS SATURDAY, I WAS OUT WITH MY FRIENDS IN PASADENA, AND THIS LADY CAME UP TO ME AND SAID, OH MY GOD, SEE ME.
I WAS HER DAUGHTER'S TEACHER WHEN SHE WAS IN SECOND GRADE, AND SHE IS NOW 29.
AND SHE COULD NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT I DID, NOT BECAUSE OF ME AS A PERSON, BUT BECAUSE I'M ALSO DEAF AND I CAN RELATE TO HER DAUGHTER IN A WAY THAT MOST PEOPLE CAN'T.
I HAVE BEEN A GEN ED TEACHER FOR 26 YEARS AT ROCKDALE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ART MAGNET.
I HAVE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR SPECIAL ED TEACHER AND HAVE SEEN HOW MUCH WORK THEY'VE BEEN PUTTING INTO AND HOW THAT HELP OUR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS TO THRIVE IN THE MAINSTREAM CLASSROOM.
AND THAT PROMPT ME WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT SO I COULD BETTER SERVE THE STUDENTS IN A GENERAL ED CLASSROOM WHEN THEY'RE MAINSTREAM.
UM, AND I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE SITTING NEXT TO YOU.
SHE WAS, HE WAS, UH, MY SON'S SIXTH GRADE TEACHER, SO MY SON WAS LIKE, OH MY GOSH.
UM, YEAH, I WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE, UM, OR MY SON'S TEACHERS, OR ANY TEACHERS THAT I KNOW OF.
UM, SO I'M DR. RIVAS, UM, BOARD MEMBER REPRESENTED, BOARD DISTRICT TWO, AND I'VE SERVED ON THIS COMMITTEE WHEN MR. SCHON WAS THE CHAIR.
SO I GUESS I'M GOING ON MY FOURTH YEAR HERE ON THIS COMMITTEE.
UM, YEAH, I MEAN, I HAVE DEFINITELY IN THIS PAST FOUR YEARS DEFINITELY HAVE SEEN, UM, PLENTY OF EXAMPLES AND CASES WHERE, UH, RESOURCES HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, UM, DELIVERED TO OUR STUDENTS, UH, FROM B IISS TO HIRING A TEACHER THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, THAT STUDENTS WERE WAITING FOR.
SO I HAVE SEEN DEFINITELY A LOT OF EXAMPLES.
ONE EXAMPLE THAT, UM, PRIOR TO BE ME BEING A BOARD MEMBER, I REMEMBER A STUDENT AND I ALWAYS SAY, UM, THIS STORY BECAUSE IT'S, IT IMPACTED ME SO MUCH.
UM, IT WAS A, A STUDENT, UM, WHEN I SAW HER, SHE WAS, I THINK IN, PROBABLY IN, IN KINDERGARTEN.
UM, AND, UM, BUT NO, I WOULD SEE HER REALLY TRYING TO ENGAGE.
AND THEN YEARS LATER I SAW HER IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND SHE WAS JUST THRIVING.
SO I KNOW SHE WAS RECEIVING THE RESOURCES AND SERVICES SHE NEEDED BECAUSE SHE WAS A DIFFERENT CHILD FROM WHEN I SAW HER IN KINDERGARTEN TO WHEN I SAW HER.
I THINK SHE WAS THE EITHER FOURTH OR FIFTH GRADE.
AND, UM, MY HEART JUST FILLED WITH JOY KNOWING THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE HAS JUST TRANSFORMED AND IT WAS RECEIVING ALL THE, THE SERVICES, UM, AND, UM, SUPPORT THAT SHE NEEDED.
I AM A SPECIAL EDUCATION ASSISTANT.
I HAVE BEEN WITH THE DISTRICT FOR 38 YEARS.
I'M CURRENTLY AT BD ELEMENTARY, AND I'M APE AND I'M ALSO SCIU VICE PRESIDENT.
I, THIS IS MY THIRD, I THINK IT'S MY THIRD TIME BEING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
AND I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED BEING HERE 'CAUSE IT GIVES ME A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM EVERYONE AND TAKE BACK SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT'S GIVEN TO US TO SHARE WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES.
AND I'M ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, WHETHER YOU ARE A CHILD OR ADULT, I'M ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE.
AND THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING ME.
UM, THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR ON THIS COMMITTEE.
UM, I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED AS A HEARING ADVOCATE FOR DEAF STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS.
UM, THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO LEARN SO I COULD BRIDGE THE GAP AS A HEARING PERSON, AS A HEARING ADVOCATE TO THE DEAF POPULATION.
UM, I'M LEARNING A LOT AS I GO AND HOW TO BRING THAT TO, UH, MY STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
MY NAME IS CHRISTINA MARTINEZ.
[00:15:01]
I AM ALSO A SPECIAL ED ASSISTANT.UM, I WORK AT UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN KOREATOWN, UM, PART OF THE RFK COMMUNITY SCHOOL.
UM, I'VE BEEN IN THE DISTRICT FOR SO MANY YEARS.
I'VE WORKED FROM PALS ALL THE WAY TILL NOW.
HIGH SCHOOL AND TRANSITIONING CENTER IS SOMETHING THAT HAS ALWAYS CAUGHT MY ATTENTION AND I'VE JOKED ABOUT IT.
I'M LIKE, IF I EVER LEAVE, YOU KNOW, UM, THE SCHOOL I'M AT IS FOR TRANSITIONING CENTER.
SO, UM, THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR IN THE COMMITTEE.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE LEARNED A LOT LAST YEAR.
AND IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO GO BACK AND EITHER INFORM COLLEAGUES OR, YOU KNOW, IF YOU KNOW A PARENT, HEY, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT YOUR OPTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, ARE THE RESOURCES OUT THERE.
SOMETIMES THERE'S ALWAYS THAT GAP, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TO INFORM PEOPLE IS ALWAYS GREAT.
UM, AND TO SEE THE KIDS, UM, REALLY GROW FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IS ALWAYS AMAZING.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME BACK.
I WANNA START THIS, MY, HI, GOOD AFTERNOON.
THIS, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
AND MY SON IS DEAF AND I HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED SO MUCH BECAUSE MY SON HAS LEARN, LEARNED SO MUCH.
AND I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THIS COMMITTEE THAT HAS HELPED ME AND IN SCHOOL AS WELL.
THAT IS A SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL.
AND THANK YOU CARLA, CIO SCOTT, WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THE SCHOOL AND ALL THE PARENTS HERE ALL FIGHTING BECAUSE IT IS SAD TO KNOW THAT A LOT DON'T KNOW HOW TO ASK FOR HELP.
AND I AM VERY THANKFUL THAT I'VE BEEN INVITED TO THIS COMMITTEE AND BEEN ABLE TO BRING INFORMATION TO THEM SO THEY CAN ALSO, UH, ACQUIRE THINGS FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR SUPPORTING THE SCHOOLS.
SO FOLKS ARE OUR WONDERFUL STAFF WHO ARE HERE TO SUPPORT US.
UM, MY NAME IS CARLY GREGOR, AND LIKE I SAID, I WAS A TEACHER, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER FOR 20 YEARS.
AND THE FIRST TIME, NOT THE FIRST TIME, BUT ONE OF THE TIMES THAT I REMEMBER WHERE I SAW A RESOURCE, UH, REALLY SUPPORT MY STUDENTS WAS, UM, WHEN WE HAD TO DO A FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS ON A STUDENT WHO WAS HAVING CHALLENGES ACCEPTING, BEING OUT.
HE WAS A, I THINK HE WAS A FOURTH GRADER AND HE HATED BEING OUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN HE PLAYED SOFTBALL.
AND SO HE WOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, MELTDOWNS THROW HIMSELF ON THE GROUND OR HE WOULD JUST HIT PEOPLE.
AND WE DID A BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT ON HIM, A FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT.
AND OVER TIME WE IMPLEMENTED THE SUPPORTS FOR HIM TO HELP HIM ACCEPT BEING OUT.
AND IT WAS SUCH A GREAT RESOURCE, NOT ONLY FOR HIM AS A STUDENT WHO NEEDED IT, BUT ALSO FOR THE GENERAL ED STUDENTS WHO LEARNED ALSO THAT SOMETIMES WE DO HAVE TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS.
SOMETIMES ONE STUDENT MAY HAVE TO TAKE THREE TURNS UNTIL THEY GET DOWN TO THE FINAL ONE TURN.
AND IT WAS CHALLENGING AT FIRST FOR THE GEN ED STUDENTS TO ACCEPT THAT WE HAD TO GIVE THIS PARTICULAR STUDENT CHANCES UNTIL HE WAS ABLE TO, BY THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BE OUT AND NOT HAVE ANY MELTDOWN.
SO I THINK THAT WHEN WE DO THESE TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS AND WE FOLLOW THE, UH, THE PLAN TO SUPPORT A STUDENT, IT REALLY WORKS.
AND SO THAT WAS ONE TIME THAT I, AS A TEACHER, FELT REALLY GOOD AND CONFIDENT THAT THESE THINGS DO WORK IF YOU DO APPLY THEM AND IMPLEMENT THEM WITH FIDELITY.
AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE MY STUDENT AND NOW HE'S GRADUATED AND IS DOING WONDERFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD.
WELL, WITH THAT, I WANT TO, WE'RE GONNA BEGIN WITH OUR MEETING AND I WANNA REMIND THE AUDIENCE THAT WE WILL BE TAKING PUBLIC COMMENT TOWARDS THE END OF THE MEETING AND TO OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
WE WILL HAVE TIME FOR DISCUSSION AT THE MIDPOINT AND THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.
SO PLEASE JOT DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS.
AND AS A REMINDER, IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AROUND, UM, AROUND A STUDENT RELATED TO A STUDENT OR A SCHOOL SITE DUE TO PRIVACY, THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION WILL BE LIMITED AS TO WHAT THEY CAN ANSWER PUBLICLY.
SO NOW I'LL PASS IT OVER TO OUR FIRST PRESENTER, MS. LYNN KUER, WHO IS FROM THE SPECIALIST.
SHE'S A SPECIALIST FROM THE TRANSITION OFFICE.
GOOD, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
OH, I'M JACKIE TO, FROM THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, WE ARE PRESENTING AS A TEAM.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD FIRST AND INTRODUCE OUR TEAM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INTRODUCING LYNN.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS LYNN AND I'M A SPECIALIST WITH PARTS
[00:20:01]
OF THE REGION OF EAST AND NORTH, ALONG WITH JOSEPH.JOSEPH LEE, SPECIALIST, ALSO IN REGIONS, EAST AND SOUTH.
I SERVE LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL AND BRAVO HIGH SCHOOL, MANY MEMBERS.
I SERVE THE JEFFERSON CAMPUS SCHOOLS AS A TRANSITION TEACHER.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU FOR THIS VENUE TO SHARE ABOUT OUR WORK.
WE APPRECIATE BEING HERE TODAY.
UM, SO AS I MENTIONED, I'M THE COORDINATOR FOR TRANSITION SERVICES AND TODAY WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE PREPARE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
SO IN OUR AGENDA TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT TRANSITION SERVICES ARE, UM, WHAT THE LAW SAYS, WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, AND THEN WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN LA UNIFIED.
SO WE'RE GONNA, UM, TALK ABOUT TRANSITION ACTIVITIES, WHAT ACTIVITIES WE PROVIDE TO STUDENTS, UM, HOW WE DO EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION, UH, TRANSITION ASSESSMENT.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA END WITH HOW WE COLLABORATE BOTH WITH OUTSIDE AGENCIES AS WELL AS WITH FAMILIES AND ENSURE FAMILY PARTNERSHIPS.
SO NOW I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO LYNN.
GOOD AFTERNOON COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
IT'S A HONOR TO BE HERE AND SHARE THE WORK THAT WE DO AND, UM, BE ABLE TO PRESENT WITH THIS WONDERFUL TEAM.
OKAY, SO LET'S GET STARTED WITH AN OVERVIEW OF TRANSITION SERVICES.
SO OUR WORK IS ALIGNED WITH THE 20 26 20 30 STRATEGIC PLAN, PARTICULARLY PILLAR ONE, ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, UH, ELIMINATING OPPORTUNITY GAPS.
SO THE WORK THAT WE DO, UH, ADDRESSES THE DISPARITY OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ATTAINING COLLEGE AND EMPLOYMENT, UH, COMPARED TO THEIR NON-DISABLED PEERS, AS WE WORK TO PROVIDE THAT EXTRA LAYER OF SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS.
AND IN ADDITION, OF COURSE, WE ADDRESS THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
UH, AS FAR AS COLLEGE AWARENESS, WE PROVIDE, UM, FIELD TRIPS TO COLLEGES, HELP THEM APPLY TO COLLEGES, HELP THEM COMPLETE THE FAFSA AND THE CA, UH, AND OF COURSE WE HELP THEM, UM, CONNECT THEM TO OFFICES ON THE COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
AND THEN FOR CAREER READINESS, WE PROVIDE CAREER EXPLORATION AND CAREER AWARENESS THROUGH ASSESSMENTS.
WE PROVIDE, UH, WORK-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH PAID WORK EXPERIENCES, HELP THEM WITH RESUMES, JOB APPLICATIONS, AND INTERVIEWS, INTERVIEW PREP.
SO WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY THE WORD TRANSITION TODAY? WELL, THE OXFORD DICTIONARY DEFINES TRANSITION AS THE PROCESS OR A PERIOD OF CHANGING FROM ONE STATE OR CONDITION TO ANOTHER.
AND IN A CHILD OR STUDENT'S EDUCATIONAL CAREER, THEY EXPERIENCE TRANSITION MULTIPLE TIMES FROM TK TO K ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, BUT TODAY WHEN WE USE THE WORD TRANSITION, WE'RE FOCUSING ON SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, MOVE FROM SCHOOL TO ADULT LIVING OR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
OUR WORK IS GROUNDED IN THE LAW.
THERE ARE FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS, WHICH APPLY TO TRANSITION.
OF COURSE, THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT OR IDA IS THE FEDERAL LAW THAT APPLIES TO TRANSITION.
IN ADDITION, THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, UH, DESCRIBES REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSITION SERVICES.
AND IN ADDITION, OUR DISTRICT ALSO HAS POLICY GUIDANCE IN PLACE TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSITION SERVICES.
PREDICTORS OF POST-SCHOOL SUCCESS TRANSITION DOES NOT START IN HIGH SCHOOL.
STUDENTS LEARN TRANSITION SKILLS AT EVERY STAGE OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL CAREER.
THE NATIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER ON TRANSITION, OR INTACCT LISTS 23 PREDICTORS OF POST-SCHOOL SUCCESS, WHICH INCLUDES GOAL SETTING, INCLUSION IN GENERAL, EDUCATION, PARENT INVOLVEMENT, PARENT EXPECTATIONS, CAREER AWARENESS, SELF-DETERMINATION AND SELF-ADVOCACY, COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES, AND INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES CAN BE, UM, STARTED AT AS EARLY AS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UH, WE ALSO OFFER PAID EMPLOYMENT AND WORK EXPERIENCE.
AND LATER ON YOU'LL HEAR FROM OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS TO, UM, PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW WE IMPLEMENT THAT IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS.
[00:25:01]
EXAMPLE THAT SUPPORTS STUDENTS IN THE AREAS OF GOAL SETTING, SELF-DETERMINATION AND SELF-ADVOCACY IS IEP TEAM MEETING PARTICIPATION.ALL STUDENTS, EVEN OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS, CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE IEP TEAM MEETING PROCESS.
STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR IEP TEAM MEETING INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OR AWARENESS OF THEIR DISABILITY AND PURPOSE OF THE IEP.
THEY GAIN SELF-CONFIDENCE, SELF-DETERMINATION, AND SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS.
THEY EXPAND THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEARNING, AND THEY OBTAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR NEEDS AND ACCOMMODATIONS THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN IEP MEETINGS.
SO WHO IS ELIGIBLE? SO, ALTHOUGH THE STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT AN INDIVIDUAL TRANSITION PLAN OR ITP IS DEVELOPED BY THE TIME THE STUDENT REACHES 16 OR BEFORE NINTH GRADE, THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT ENSURES THAT AN ITP IS COMPLETED ANNUALLY USING RESULTS FROM AGE APPROPRIATE TRANSITION ASSESSMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH AN IEP STARTING AT THE AGE OF 14 AND OLDER OR BEFORE NINTH GRADE.
IN OUR DISTRICT, WE SERVE OVER 19,000 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AGES 14 AND UP.
AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE STUDENTS AT THE INDEPENDENT CHARTERS AND NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
TRANSITION SERVICES ARE DOCUMENTED IN A STUDENT'S INDIVIDUAL TRANSITION PLAN, OR ITP AND THE ITP IS A DOCUMENT IN A STUDENT'S INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM, OR IEP.
THE ITP IS THE TEMPLATE WE USE TO MAP OUT A STUDENT'S TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO ADULT LIVING.
THE ITP OUTLINES TRANSITION ASSESSMENT RESULTS, POST-SECONDARY GOALS IN THE AREAS OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT AND INDEPENDENT LIVING AS APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT THOSE GOALS.
THE COURSE OF STUDY AS WELL AS AGENCY LINKAGES.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRANSITION SERVICES AND HOW WE PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, WE ARE FOCUSED ON FOUR MAJOR PATHWAYS THAT A STUDENT MAY TAKE.
THE FIRST ONE BEING COLLEGE, WHICH INCLUDES COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND FOUR YEAR UNI, FOUR YEAR UNIVERSITIES.
AND THEN TRAINING PROGRAMS, WHICH INCLUDE CAREER OR TECHNICAL SCHOOLS OR CTE PROGRAMS. THEY MAY INCLUDE VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS, APPRENTICESHIPS, AND INTERNSHIPS, AN INDUSTRY THAT IS GROWING IN HIGH DEMAND.
THE THIRD PATHWAY IS THE MILITARY, WHICH INCLUDES THE ARMY, MARINE CORPS, NAVY, AIR FORCE, SPACE FORCE, AND COAST GUARD.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, EMPLOYMENT, AND WHICH WE TRY TO PREPARE OUR STUDENTS TO, UH, BE COMPETITIVELY EMPLOYED, EARNING AT LEAST A MINIMUM WAGE.
EACH OF THESE PATHWAYS PROVIDE VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES AND BENEFITS.
AND OUR MISSION IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS PURSUE ONE OR MORE OF THESE PATHWAYS AS SOON AS THEY LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL.
THE QR CODE YOU SEE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SLIDE, UH, WILL LEAD YOU TO OUR WEBSITE.
AND THERE YOU'LL FIND THESE FLYERS THAT YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE DECK ON THIS SLIDE, AS WELL AS VARIOUS RESOURCES, COMMUNITY RESOURCES THAT WILL CONNECT STUDENTS AND FAMILIES TO THESE MAJOR PATHWAYS.
SO WHAT DOES TRANSITION SUPPORT LOOK LIKE IN OUR DISTRICT? WELL, TRANSITION IS A TEAM EFFORT.
IT DOES TAKE A VILLAGE TO RAISE CHILDREN, RIGHT? UH, TRANSITION SUPPORT INCLUDES THE CASE CARRIERS, GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, TRANSITION TEACHERS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, PARENTS AND GUARDIANS, AND OTHER SCHOOL STAFF SUCH AS PARAPROFESSIONALS, AGENCY PARTNERS.
TODAY WE WILL FOCUS ON THE WORK OF TRANSITION TEACHERS AT LESD HIGH SCHOOLS.
PLEASE KNOW THAT ALL SECONDARY SITES ARE SUP SUPPORTED BY OUR TRANSITION STAFF.
UH, CURRENTLY WE HAVE 86 TRANSITION TEACHERS AND 10 VOCATION AND TRANSITION ASSISTANTS ASSIGNED TO SUPPORT ALL THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
SO, UM, HERE'S ANOTHER ONE OF OUR FRI FLYERS FOR TRANSITION SERVICES.
UP NEXT, I'M HAPPY TO INTRODUCE OR REINTRODUCE ONE OF OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS WHO WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, COLLABORATION AND ACTIVITIES,
[00:30:02]
AND THEN FOLLOWED BY MARCO WHO WILL TALK ABOUT EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION AND ASSESSMENT.SO I WOULD LIKE TO, OH, JORGE'S READY, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALLOWING US TO, UM, SHARE WITH YOU THE DAILY WORK THAT TRANSITION TEACHERS DO AT OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, OUR MISSION AS TRANSITION TEACHERS IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY STUDENT HAS ACCESS TO MEANINGFUL INDIVIDUALIZED TRANSITION LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT PREPARE THEM FOR SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENT ADULT LIVES.
TO MEET THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS AND ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO INSTRUCTION, WE DELIVER TRANSITION SERVICES THROUGH MULTIPLE LEARNING FORMATS.
OUR SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL PROVIDES LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WHERE STUDENTS ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH TRANSITION TEACHERS AND PEERS TO DEVELOP PRACTICAL SKILLS, CONFIDENCE AND SELF-DETERMINATION TO PROMOTE ACCESSIBILITY AND CONTINUITY OF LEARNING.
WE OFFER BOTH SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTION THROUGH OUR LEARNING PLATFORM.
SCHOOLOGY, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH FLEXIBLE PATHWAYS TO ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL TRANSITION RELATED CONTENT AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT.
TRANSITION TEACHERS PROVIDE TRAINING, GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES TO SCHOOL STAFF, BUILDING THEIR CONFIDENCE AND CAPACITY TO DEVELOP COMPLIANT AND MEANINGFUL INDIVIDUALIZED TRANSITION PLANS.
IN A FEW WEEKS, WE'RE GONNA BE MEETING WITH OUR REGIONAL TEAMS IN WHICH WE'RE GONNA RECEIVE NEW TRAINING MATERIAL IN WHICH THEN TRANSITION TEACHERS WILL, UM, MEET WITH THEIR COUNTERPARTS OR, UH, TEACHERS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOLS TO, UM, PASS DOWN WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT ITPS AND HELP THEM WRITE AND CONTINUE TO WRITE COMPLIANT IEPS FOR AREAS OF TRANSITION INSTRUCTION.
UH, TRANSITION TEACHERS, UM, HELP DISCOVER, HELP STUDENTS DISCOVER THEIR STRENGTHS, INTERESTS, AND POTENTIAL CAREER PATHWAYS BY EXPLORING VARIOUS OCCUPATIONS, WORKPLACE EXPECTATIONS, AND CAREER PLANNING TOOLS.
STUDENTS DEVELOP THE KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-AWARENESS NEEDED TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR FUTURES.
STUDENTS ARE INTRODUCED TO A VARIETY OF POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, INCLUDING COLLEGES, VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS, APPRENTICESHIPS, AND ADULT EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.
THROUGH GUIDED EXPLORATION AND INDIVIDUALIZED PLANNING, THEY LEARN TO NAVIGATE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS, ACCESS AVAILABLE SUPPORTS, AND MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS THAT ALIGN WITH THEIR FUTURE GOALS.
THROUGH THE JOB SEARCH AND PREPARATION, STUDENTS DEVELOP ESSENTIAL WORKFORCE READINESS SKILLS, INCLUDING RESUME WRITING, JOB APPLICATIONS, INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES AND PROFESSIONAL WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR.
THESE REAL WORLD LEARNING EXPERIENCE, BUILD CONFIDENCE, PROMOTE SELF-ADVOCACY, AND PREPARE STUDENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL PARTICIPATION IN THE WORKFORCE.
WE ALSO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION IN THE DESTINATION AND TRANSPORTATION SKILLS, EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO NAVIGATE THEIR COMMUNITY SAFELY AND INDEPENDENTLY.
TRANSITION TEACHERS PROVIDE INSTRUCTION TO STUDENTS ON HOW TO READ ROUTES, SCHEDULES, AND PLAN DAILY TRAVEL.
STUDENTS BUILD CONFIDENCE AND SKILLS NECESSARY FOR INCREASED INDEPENDENCE AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
LIFE SKILLS AND INDEPENDENTLY LIVING INSTRUCTION EQUIPS STUDENTS WITH THE PRACTICAL SKILLS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS IN ADULTHOOD THROUGH LEARNING EXPERIENCES, EXCUSE ME.
FOCUS, FOCUS ON BUDGETING, SAFETY, AWARENESS, TIME MANAGEMENT, AND ORGANIZATION.
STUDENTS BUILD A CONFIDENCE NEEDED TO MANAGE DAILY RESPONSIBILITIES AND LIVE MORE INDEPENDENTLY.
FINALLY, IN TRANSITION PLANNING AND SELF-ADVOCACY, WE EQUIP STUDENTS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THEIR, IN SHAPING THEIR FUTURES.
STUDENTS LEARN TO UNDERSTAND THEIR RIGHTS, COMMUNICATE THEIR NEEDS, EFFECTIVELY, PARTICIPATE MEANINGFULLY IN THEIR IEP MEETINGS AND ADVOCATE APPROPRIATE FOR APPROPRIATE SUPPORTS AND ACCOMMODATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL AND WORKPLACE SETTINGS.
BY STRENGTHENING SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS, STUDENTS DEVELOP GREATER SELF-DETERMINATION, INDEPENDENCE, AND OWNERSHIP OF THEIR POST-SECONDARY GOALS.
SUPPORTED DECISION MAKING IS A PROCESS THAT EMPOWERS STUDENTS AGE 18 AND OLDER WHO ARE NOT YET UNDER CONSERVATORSHIP TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS WHILE RECEIVING GUIDANCE FROM TRUSTED INDIVIDUALS OF THEIR CHOOSING.
THESE TRUSTED SUPPORTERS, SUPPORTERS CAN ASSIST STUDENTS IN MAKING INFORMED EDUCATIONAL DECISIONS TO STRENGTHEN STUDENT AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THIS OPTION.
OUR DEPARTMENT HAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED A NEW SCHOOLOGY LEARNING ACTIVITY THAT INTRODUCES THE LEARNING, THE CONCEPT OF SUPPORTED DECISION MAKING TO OUR STUDENTS.
AT THIS POINT, WE'RE GONNA PAUSE FOR A DISCUSSION.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WE MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS OR SOME COMMENTS.
UM, CURIOSITIES, WONDERINGS, ANYTHING.
[00:35:01]
THIS IS THE TIME AND I'M GONNA TRY TO GIVE EVERYBODY ONE CHANCE BEFORE I CALL ON A PERSON AGAIN.AND I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT 10 MINUTES.
SO IF WE COULD ALSO KEEP IT LEAN SO THAT AS MANY OF US CAN, CAN PARTICIPATE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA LOOK AROUND.
UM, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSITION TEACHERS, IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL YOURSELVES? HOW MANY OF 'EM, UM, WORK IN DEAF EDUCATION? DO YOU HAVE A PERSON WHO IS DESIGNATED TO WORK WITHIN DEAF ED? UM, DO YOU MEAN WORK IN DEAF EDUCATION? LIKE AT THEIR, HOW MANY DEAF PROGRAMS THAT THERE TWO DEAF PROGRAMS, BUT THOSE DEAF PROGRAMS ARE DISTRICTWIDE BECAUSE WE CAN HAVE DEAF STUDENTS WHO ARE ALONE ON A, ON A SINGLE SITE.
SO, UM, IN OUR TPP CONTRACTS, WHICH WE'LL GET INTO, UM, IN A, IN A LITTLE BIT ON TRANSITION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM CONTRACT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION, UM, IT ACTUALLY FUNDS A FULL-TIME, UM, DEAF AND HARDENED HEARING INTERPRETER TO SUPPORT, UM, STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING IN ACCESSING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT, UM, MR. YULA JUST SPOKE ABOUT.
UM, SO STUDENTS ON THAT CONTRACT CAN BE PROVIDED, UM, DESIGNATED SUPPORT BY THAT DHH INTERPRETER SPECIFICALLY.
I JUST WANNA MAKE A POINT OF CLARIFICATION.
WE USE DEAF AS AN ALL-INCLUSIVE WORD TO MEAN DIFFERENT HEARING LEVELS AND IDENTITIES.
SO WE'RE MOVING AWAY FROM THE DHH HERE IN L-A-U-S-D.
MARIA, DID YOU WANT MARIA? OKAY, I HAVE HER GO.
YOU CONTACTED AFTER CHILDREN OVER GRADUATE SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THOSE, UH, FUNDS OR THE MEANS TO BE PART OF SOCIETY.
SO, UM, HOW CAN FAMILIES PARTICIPATE? SO WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA TALK IN A FEW MOMENTS ABOUT, UM, OUR COLLABORATION WITH PARENTS AND FAMILIES.
UM, WE DEFINITELY THINK THAT FAMILIES ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF TRANSITION.
WHEN STUDENTS LEAVE OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, THEY STILL HAVE THEIR FAMILY SUPPORT.
AND SO WE HAVE MADE, UM, AN INCREASED EFFORT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO ENSURE THAT FAMILIES ARE GETTING THE INFORMATION.
AND WE'LL SHARE WITH YOU A LINK TO, UM, WHAT WE'RE BUILDING RIGHT NOW IS OUR 26 27, UM, PARENT ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR.
BUT IF YOU CHECK THE LINK, IT HAS, UM, THE 25 26 PARENT ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR ON IT.
AND WE ACTUALLY DID HUNDREDS OF TRAININGS BECAUSE WE HAVE THE 86 TRANSITION TEACHERS.
UM, THEY DO SCHOOL-BASED TRAININGS, AND SO THEY'RE ABLE TO INVITE PARENTS AT THEIR SCHOOL SITES.
SO PARENTS AREN'T HAVING TO TRAVEL TO CENTRALIZED SITES.
PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND TRAININGS AT ANY OF THE SITES THAT THEIR CHILDREN ATTEND, OR THEY CAN ALSO ATTEND TRAININGS AT OTHER SITES.
UM, THE TRAININGS ARE OFFERED IN PERSON AND ON ALL AS WELL AS VIRTUALLY.
SO THERE'S DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR PARTICIPATION.
AND SO WE ARE DEFINITELY CONTINUING TO WORK WITH, UM, SOME OF OUR PARENT GROUPS, UM, INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE CAC, WHO'S GIVEN US FEEDBACK ABOUT, UM, IN IMPLEMENTING THESE TRAININGS TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE ACCESSIBLE TO PARENTS.
UM, IF OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS CAN COME, CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, HOW YOU WOULD GUIDE A STUDENT? LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED HERE, SMALL GROUP CLASSROOM.
UM, IF YOU CAN JUST WALK US DOWN WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU WOULD DO TYPICALLY FOR A STUDENT.
UM, SO JUST TO START OFF THIS SEMESTER, UM, WE, SO TRANSITION TEACHERS ASSESS 10TH GRADE STUDENTS, UM, TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH IDA, UH, STUDENTS MUST HAVE AN ASSESSMENT IN THEIR ITP.
SO, UM, I WORK WITH 10TH GRADE STUDENTS AND I, UM, WORK WITH THEM ON A CAREER AND TRANSITION ASSESSMENT TO EXPLORE, UM, THEIR CAREER OPTIONS.
UM, AFTER THEY COMPLETED THAT CAREER ASSESSMENT, I REVIEW THE RESULTS WITH THEM, THE HAULING CODE, REVIEW THOSE RESULTS AND WHAT THEY MEAN AND SEE IF THEY CAN RELATE TO THEM.
UM, AND IF TIME PERMITS OR IF NOT AT ANOTHER TIME, I, UM, DO CAREER RESEARCH WORKSHEET WITH THEM IN WHICH WE FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE CAREERS PATH THAT THEY'VE CHOSEN AND THEY ACTUALLY DIG INTO A CAREER AND DO SOME RESEARCH IN IT.
WE USE A, A TOOL CALLED OLD OWN IT ONLINE.
[00:40:01]
IN WHICH THEY, UM, EXAMINE, UM, BY JOB TITLE WHAT IT IS, UM, WHAT TRAININGS AND CREDENTIALS THEY MIGHT NEED, UM, WHAT OTHER WAGES AND EMPLOYMENT TRENDS, UH, WHAT SCHOOLS ARE OFFERING THOSE, UM, UH, DEGREES.UM, AND, UM, THEY CAN EVEN RESEARCH WHO IS HIRING, UM, LOCALLY.
'CAUSE THAT, UM, I BELIEVE THAT WEBSITE IS TIED INTO THE LABOR AND BUREAU STATISTICS, UM, SITE.
SO IT'S, UM, THEY GET TO DO RESEARCH AND FIND OUT HOW MUCH MONEY THEY WILL MAKE OR HOW MUCH MONEY THEY WON'T MAKE IN CERTAIN CAREERS.
AND SOMETIMES THEY ARE, UM, SURPRISED BY WHAT, UM, THEY FIND OUT.
AND, AND OFTENTIMES THEY WANNA DO RESEARCH ON, ON OTHER CAREERS ALSO.
AND I, I PUSH THAT THEY CAN DO CAREER RESEARCH ON THEIR OWN 'CAUSE THEY NOW KNOW HOW TO USE THAT WEBSITE THAT WE JUST BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE PAST FEW MINUTES.
AND, UM, I, AND THAT'S WHAT WE HOPE THAT STUDENTS ARE DOING THAT FURTHERING THEIR, UM, RESEARCH ON THEIR OWN AND HELPING 'EM GUIDING MAKE THOSE CAREER PATH DECISIONS.
AND YOU WORK IN VARIOUS SCHOOLS.
SO I'M A TRANSITION TEACHER AT LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL.
I'M BASED AT LINCOLN, AND I ALSO SERVE AS BRAVO HIGH SCHOOL.
AND I ACTUALLY ALSO ALSO SERVICE AS PUEBLO CONTINUATION HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THE LAST ONE, UM, YOU MENTIONED THE ACTIVITY IN SCHOOLOGY CONCEPT OF SUPPORTED DECISION MAKING.
WHAT IS THAT EXACTLY? COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS EXACTLY? YEAH, SO THAT IS FOR, UM, STUDENTS WHO, UM, ARE, UM, MAINLY ON THE MODIFIED CORE CURRICULUM, RIGHT? WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE DECISIONS, UM, LEGAL DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN.
UM, SO, UH, LAST YEAR WE IMPLEMENTED THIS SUPPORTED DECISION MAKING ACTIVITY IN WHICH WE ARE GIVING THEM OPTIONS SO THEY CAN, UM, EXPLORE TRUSTED ADULTS AND THEY CAN, UM, SEE WHO KIND OF IS HELPING THEM MAKE DECISIONS AND IDENTIFY ONE OF THOSE PERSONS.
UM, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO, UM, RESEARCH TEMPLATES AND, UM, MORE IMPORTANTLY, IDENTIFY THAT ONE PERSON WHO CAN HELP THEM MAKE EDUCATIONAL DECISIONS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND THESE ARE STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT YET CONSERVED OR DON'T HAVE A CONSERVATORSHIP.
AND SO, UM, WE FIND THAT HELPFUL FOR OUR STUDENTS.
I, I HAVE A QUESTION OR DID SOMEBODY HAVE A OKAY, SO I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
YOU SHARED INFORMATION LETTING US KNOW ABOUT FAMILY PARTICIPATION.
HOW ARE YOU ASSESSING WHETHER FAMILIES ARE PARTICIPATING? BECAUSE THERE ARE STUDENTS WHO, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE STUDENTS IN, IN DIFFERENT GROUPS,
SO HOW ARE THE STAFF MEMBERS MONITORING WHETHER THESE FAMILIES ARE ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU TO SUPPORT THEM? IS THIS BEING MONITORED BY REGION OR BY SCHOOL? BECAUSE WE, WE SEEING DIFFICULTIES AT SOME SCHOOLS WHERE PARENTS DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT TRANSITION ENTAILS.
SO HOW CAN WE SUPPORT THESE, UH, FAMILIES SO THEY CAN SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS? THANK YOU.
UH, QUESTION OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT.
OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE DEFINITELY HAVE WORKED TO STRENGTHEN OUR PRACTICES WITH PARENT ENGAGEMENT.
AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE'VE DONE THAT IS BY ASKING ALL OF OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS TO GIVE US A PARENT ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SCHOOL YEAR.
SO ALL OF OUR TEACHERS COME UP WITH A PARENT ENGAGEMENT PLAN AND PROVIDE US WITH A PARENT ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR.
THE CALENDARS THAT THEY PROVIDE US WITH, WE, UM, TAKE THOSE CUMUL CUMULATIVELY AND WE PUT THEM INTO OUR ONE LINK PARENT ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH PARENTS.
WE DO ASK OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS TO REPORT OUT TO US ABOUT THREE TIMES A YEAR ON THEIR PARENT ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES THAT HAVE ATTENDED THEIR TRAININGS.
BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY ALSO SHARE WITH US THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY'RE REACHING OUT TO FAMILIES.
IT DOES LOOK DIFFERENT AT EVERY SCHOOL.
SOME SCHOOLS WILL BE THAT OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS ARE INVITED TO COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL.
AT SOME SCHOOLS IT WILL BE THAT WE HAVE BOOTHS AT BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT.
AT SOME SCHOOLS IT WILL BE MEETINGS, UM, WITH THE, UM, PARENT COMMITTEES
[00:45:01]
AT THE SCHOOL.SO IT DOES LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT AT EVERY SCHOOL, BUT YOU, WE, WE ARE MONITORING IT BY COLLECTING THAT INFORMATION FROM 'EM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND THEN AT DIFFERENT PERIODS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UM, RECEIVING THEIR DATA AND INFORMATION AS TO WHAT THEY IMPLEMENTED.
UM, DEFINITELY AGREE THAT SOMETIMES IT IS HARD FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE HOME THAT INFORMATION TO PARENTS, UM, AND THAT SOMETIMES WE SAY THINGS TO STUDENTS AND THAT THAT INFORMATION DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE IT HOME.
SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO TRY TO FIND DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET THE INFORMATION TO PARENTS SO THAT THEY'RE ALSO HEARING THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SHARING WITH STUDENTS DIRECTLY.
UM, DID YOU SAY WE HAVE 86 TRANSITIONAL TEACHERS IN THE WHOLE DISTRICT? I HAVE 86 IN THE DISTRICT.
UM, REMEMBER THEY'RE SUPPORTING SECONDARY SCHOOLS BECAUSE THE ITP STARTS AT AGE 14.
AND SO A LOT OF THOSE KIDS ARE IN EIGHTH GRADE ABOUT, SO OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS DO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO MIDDLE SCHOOLS, BUT THEN THEY ARE SITTING AT OUR COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS.
BUT AS MR. OWA SHARED, THEN THEY ARE ASSIGNED SOME ALTERNATIVE SITES AS WELL.
IS THERE, HOW DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH TIME THEY PROVIDE SUPPORT? SO THE WAY WE BREAK IT UP IS BY GRADE, BECAUSE THEY DON'T DO LIKE SERVICE TRACKING IF YOU'RE TAKING ABOUT TIME.
SO WE PROVIDE, WE DIVIDE IT UP BY GRADE, AND SO AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH YEAR, WE SHARE WITH THE TRANSITION TEACHERS WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR SUPPORT AT EACH GRADE LEVEL.
AND SO WE KNOW AT LEAST THAT EACH STUDENT GETS A MINIMUM LEVEL OF SUPPORT BY GRADE NINTH, 10TH, 11TH, AND 12TH.
LIKE IN 10TH GRADE, FOR EXAMPLE, WE ADMINISTER THE ITP UH, TRANSITION ASSESSMENTS TO THE STUDENTS.
UM, IN 11TH GRADE WE DO SOME DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES.
AND THEN IN 12TH GRADE, THAT'S WHERE WE FOCUS A LOT OF OUR SUPPORT.
THOSE KIDS, I THINK THE LIGHT BULB IS GOING OFF FOR THEM, LIKE, OH, I'M ABOUT TO LEAVE.
AND SO WE MAKE SURE THAT, UM, IN 12TH GRADE THAT THEY DO A MINIMUM OF FOUR SENIOR ADVISORIES WITH STUDENTS.
UM, AND SO WE FOCUS A LOT ON THAT, YOU KNOW, ON SUPPORT IN 12TH GRADE AND INCLUDING, UM, STUDENTS IN DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GOING ON, INCLUDING LIKE FAFSA SUPPORT, COLLEGE TOURS, DISABILITY, STUDENT SERVICE OFFICE, DISABILITY STUDENTS SERVICES, TOURS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
MY NEXT QUESTION WAS ON FIELD TRIPS.
UM, DO ALL STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO THESE FIELD TRIPS AS PART OF THE TRANSITION PROGRAM? YES.
UM, I, I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE GONNA TOUCH ON THAT IN A LITTLE BIT, BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YES.
UM, THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION GENEROUSLY FUNDS, UM, BUSES FOR OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS.
AND SO THEY ALL HAVE ACCESS TO BUSES.
WE REALLY TRY TO MAKE OUR INCLU, UH, FIELD TRIPS INCLUSIVE.
SO WE'RE TRYING NOT TO SCHEDULE SEPARATE FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS.
WE'RE TRYING TO ENSURE THAT IF, UH, LIKE LET'S JUST SAY THE SCHOOL IS GOING TO A COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THAT WE MAY SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DISABILITY SERVICES AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, BUT THAT WE'RE DOING IT AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
UM, AND SO THE FIELD TRIPS THAT OUR STUDENTS GO ON ARE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE INCLUSIVE, BUT WE DO SOMETIMES SCHEDULE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIELD TRIPS, UM, FOR JUST SPECIFICALLY TO SUPPORT THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS.
AND THEN, UM, IS, DO TRANSITIONAL TEACHERS GET A CASELOAD? DO THEY WORK OFF OF A CASELOAD? AND WHAT IS GENERALLY, WHAT IS THAT? YEAH, SO IT'S, THEY DON'T HAVE A CASELOAD PER SE, BUT WE TRY TO BALANCE THE ASSIGNMENTS SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE A TEACHER WITH 80 AND ONE WITH 400.
AND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE SIZE OF OUR SCHOOLS VARY, WE KIND OF TRY TO BALANCE IT AROUND 225.
UM, AND SO WE DID MENTION THAT WE HAVE 10 ASSISTANTS, AND SO THE ASSISTANTS, UM, COME AND SUPPORT SCHOOLS SOMETIMES THAT HAVE MAYBE A LARGER NUMBER OF, UM, STUDENTS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT A PERFECT ASSIGNMENT, BUT I THINK WE BALANCE IT PRETTY WELL SO THAT WE'RE AROUND THAT 225 NUMBER.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR PARENTS TO RECEIVE LIKE A ONE PAGER ON WHAT THEY SHOULD EXPECT IN TERMS OF THE SERVICES, THE TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT.
LIKE WHAT, LIKE SIMILAR TO THE QUESTIONS THAT DR. RIVAS ASKED, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? LIKE WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT MY CHILD TO BE RECEIVING? IS IT, YOU KNOW, THEY MENTIONED SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS, SO IS IT A COURSE ON SCHOOLOGY? UM, IF IT IS A COURSE ON SCHOOLOGY, WHERE DO THEY GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY LEARNED OR HOW DO YOU LEARN, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO APPLY THEIR LEARNING? LIKE WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ASSESSMENT? AND THEN LASTLY, IT WOULD BE GREAT ALSO TO HAVE A SURVEY, AN END OF YEAR SURVEY.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT EXISTS ALREADY FOR, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, HOW DO FAMILIES FEEL ABOUT THE TRANSITION PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER BECAUSE WE'RE FOLLOWING THEM FROM
[00:50:01]
14 YEARS ALL THE WAY UP TO GRADUATION, RIGHT? UM, AND SO HOW DO FAMILIES FEEL ABOUT THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY RECEIVED? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW DO THE STUDENTS FEEL RIGHT ABOUT THE SUPPORTS? DO THEY FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE GIVEN THE SUPPORT FROM THE AND AND THEY'RE NOW READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD? UM, SO I, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT EXISTS ALREADY.AND WE'RE CURRENTLY, WE DON'T DO, UM, END OF YEAR SURVEYS.
SO THERE WE ARE IMPLEMENTING A SURVEY AT THE PARENT TRAININGS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A CURRENT END OF YEAR SURVEY.
I MAY HAVE SOME OTHERS, BUT YES, REAL QUICK, I THINK THIS MAY BE FOR DR. SOTO OR MS. HAAS.
SO IT SAYS IN L-A-U-S-D, THERE ARE 19,047 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AGE 14 PLUS EXCLUDING INDEPENDENT CHARTERS AND NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
SO HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE INDEPENDENT CHARTER SCHOOLS AND THE NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ARE THEY REQUIRED TO RECEIVE TRANSITION SERVICES? YES.
ARE THEY REQUIRED TO HAVE A, UH, TRANSITION PLAN? DO WE KNOW? BECAUSE THERE ARE EVERYBODY'S, OUR KIDS SUPPOSEDLY, RIGHT? YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T MIND JUMPING IN HERE.
UM, SO OUR CHARTER OPERATED PROGRAMS OFFICE SUPPORTS THE INDEPENDENT CHARTERS.
UM, AND SO THEY DO A REALLY GREAT JOB.
THEY HAVE SOMEONE ON THEIR TEAM THAT, UM, IS SORT OF A TRANSITION EXPERT AND SHE'LL REACH OUT TO ME IF SHE HAS QUESTIONS.
BUT THE INDEPENDENT CHARTERS PROVIDE THE TRANSITION SUPPORTS DIRECTLY TO THEIR STUDENTS.
UM, THEY SOMETIMES REACH OUT TO WITH QUESTIONS, BUT THEY ARE PROVIDING THEIR OWN PROGRAMS. AND BECAUSE THE ITP IS REQUIRED BY LAW, ALL OF THOSE STUDENTS HAVE AN ITP IN THEIR IEP AS WELL.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THEY USE OUR WELL AGENT SYSTEM.
AND SO YES, THEY, THE WEGEN SYSTEM TURNS ON THAT ITP FOR THEM.
AND BECAUSE, UM, WE HAVE A NON-PUBLIC SUPPORT OFFICE WITHIN OUR DIVISION, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM.
WE DO CROSS TRAININGS WITH THEM AND SO THAT THEY'RE FAMILIAR AND AWARE OF THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING.
NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROVIDE THE TRANSITION SUPPORT DIRECTLY, BUT OUR DIVISION MAKES SURE THAT OUR STAFF ARE TRAINED SO THAT THEY CAN SUPPORT THE SCHOOLS IN CREATING MEANINGFUL AND, UM, COMPLIANT ITP.
ALRIGHT, WHY DON'T WE GO, WE'RE OVER TIME ALREADY IN OUR DISCUSSION, BUT WHY DON'T WE BEGIN WITH THE NEXT SECTION AND THEN WE WILL TRY TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSION AT THE END, UM, MOVING FORWARD WITH, UH, EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION, UM, ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL WAYS WE PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL IS THROUGH WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
THESE OPPORTUNITIES ALLOW STUDENTS TO DEVELOP ESSENTIAL WORKPLACE SKILLS, EXPLORE CAREER INTERESTS, AND GAIN MEANINGFUL HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WHILE LEARNING EARNING MINIMUM WAGE.
THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION AND FUNDING THROUGH THE WORKABILITY ONE GRANT, STUDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE IN UP TO 120 HOURS OF WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
THESE PLACEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE AT BOTH DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY-BASED SITES, INCLUDING PROGRAMS SUCH AS LA'S BEST AND BEYOND THE BELL, AS WELL AS SOME COMMUNITY PARTNERS SUCH AS THE YMCA AND THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF WHOM WE HAVE MOUS WITH.
THROUGH THESE REAL WORLD EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCES, STUDENTS BUILD JOB READINESS SKILLS, INCREASE SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND STRENGTHEN THEIR PREPARATION FOR SUCCESSFUL POST-SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT AND ADULTHOOD.
SO TWO OF THE WAYS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE WORK-BASED LEARNING PROGRAM IS, UH, THROUGH OUR WORKABILITY GRANT WITH THE CDE.
AND THE SECOND WAY IS THE TRANSITION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION FOR THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR, WE PROCESSED 334 STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN A WORKABILITY WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND 379 STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRANSITION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
THESE TOTALS DO NOT INCLUDE THE STUDENTS AT THE CAREER AND TRANSITION CENTERS WHO ALSO PARTICIPATED OF THE 713 STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND WERE PLACED IN A STUDENT WORK EXPERIENCE, A PAID STUDENT WORK EXPERIENCE, UM, THERE'S A BREAKDOWN HERE ON THE SCREEN OF, UM, THE STUDENTS BY ELIGIBILITY.
SO WE HAD 89 STUDENTS WITH AUTISM, UH, NINE STUDENTS WHO WERE DEAF, 13 WITH EMOTIONAL DISABILITY DISTURBANCE, 17 INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND EIGHT WITH, WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT.
[00:55:05]
THE NEXT SLIDE IS ANOTHER BREAKDOWN BY ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR IN A, UH, PAID WORK EXPERIENCE.OUR TEACHERS DO MAKE AN OUTSTANDING EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS, REGARDLESS OF ELIGIBILITY, ARE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS TO PARTICIPATE IN A WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
SO WE HAD THREE STUDENTS WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES OF VISION, VISUAL IMPAIRMENT, 94 WITH OHI OR OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENT, 472 SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES AND EIGHT STUDENTS WITH SPEECH AND LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT.
NOW, MOVING ON TO TRANSITION ASSESSMENT.
SO THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS THAT WE USE.
UM, AND I KIND OF, I LIKE USING A LOT OF ANALOGIES.
SO, UH, THINK ABOUT, UH, MAYBE YOU, MAYBE A STUDENT LIKES A, A BURGER PLACE DOWN THE STREET, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY BURGER PLACE THAT STUDENT'S EVER BEEN TO, AND THAT ONLY STUDENT ONLY KNOWS, RIGHT? AND MAYBE THERE'S A BETTER BURGER PLACE SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT THE STUDENT DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT IT.
IT'S NEVER BEEN THERE, RIGHT? SO TRANSITION ASSESSMENTS ALLOW US TO INTRODUCE STUDENTS TO OTHER OPTIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
UM, WHEN THEY'RE YOUNGER, SOMETIMES IN THESE ASSESSMENTS THEY MIGHT SAY THINGS LIKE, OH, WELL, I WANNA BE A BASKETBALL STAR, OR I WANT TO BE A, UH, I WANT TO BE A, A YOUTUBER, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THE REASON THEY SAY THESE THINGS IS BECAUSE THESE ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT THEY KNOW THAT, THAT ARE, THAT ARE AROUND THEM.
SO WITH THESE TRANSITION ASSESSMENTS, WE, UM, ASSESS STUDENTS THEIR STRENGTHS, THEIR PREFERENCES, THEIR INTERESTS, THEIR NEEDS, UM, AND WE, WE ASSESS THEIR, AND STUDENTS ARE ASSESSED IN THE AREAS OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT, AND INDEPENDENT LIVING.
THESE ARE THE THREE AREAS THAT ARE IN THE ITP.
SO ANOTHER WAY WE COLLABORATE, UM, WITH STUDENTS, OR SORRY, WITH, UM, ANOTHER WAY WE COLLABORATE, UM, OR WE IS BY CONNECTING STUDENTS WITH RESOURCES, UH, TO SUPPORT POST-SECONDARY GOALS.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE DO, UM, FIELD TRIPS, LOCAL COLLEGES AND OCCUPATIONAL CENTERS.
UH, WE, AND THAT'S ANOTHER WAY TO LIKE GET, INTRODUCE THEM SO THEY CAN SEE FIRSTHAND WHAT'S THERE.
UH, WE DO PRESENTATIONS TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS.
UH, SOMETIMES IT'S WITH COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL, SOMETIMES IT'S IN A MEETING THAT WE SET UP OURSELVES.
UH, WE SUPPORT THEM WITH FAFSA CADA SUPPORT.
UH, WE CONNECT WITH OUTSIDE AGENCIES SUCH AS BRIDGES, UH, WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION.
UH, THAT'S, WE DO THE WORK PROGRAM, TPP WITH THEM.
UH, AND WE ALSO DO A REGIONAL CENTER.
WE CONNECT WITH REGIONAL CENTER, UH, AND WITH POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS DSPS, UH, DIFFERENT PLACES HAVE DIFFERENT NAMES.
SO SOMETIMES IT'S O-S-S-O-S-D, BUT BASICALLY IT'S WHERE THE STUDENT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO GET SOME KIND OF SUPPORT FOR THEIR, UH, DISABILITY AT WHATEVER POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTION THAT THEY DECIDE TO GO TO.
UM, AND THEN FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
SO ONE OF OUR MOST, UM, IMPORTANT COLLABORATIONS IS WITH FAMILIES.
RESEARCH INDICATES AN EVOLVING PARENTS IN A CHILD'S EDUCATION AND SCHOOL COMMUNITY POSITIVELY AFFECTS STUDENTS' OUTCOMES.
STUDENTS WITH INVOLVED FAMILIES ARE MORE LIKELY TO EARN HIGHER GRADES AND TEST SCORES, PASS THEIR CLASSES AND EARN CREDITS, ATTEND SCHOOL REGULARLY, AND BE ON TIME, GRADUATE, AND GO ON TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION.
EACH OF OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS CREATES AND IMPLEMENTS A FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR THEIR SCHOOL.
THEIR PLANS INCLUDE THOUGHTFULLY, UH, CREATED STRATEGIES TO SHARE DATA AND RESOURCES TO FOSTER A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS AND TRANSITION TEACHERS.
SO WE WANT TO END THIS TRAINING WITH THREE THINGS WE THINK ARE ESSENTIAL FOR FAMILIES TO CONSIDER WHEN SUPPORTING THEIR STUDENTS IN THEIR TRANSITION.
ONE SUGGESTION IS TO ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO ATTEND THE IEP AND ITP MEETING.
ANOTHER IS TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD WITH YOUR IEP TEAM, PROVIDING EXPOSURE TO POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS LIKE COLLEGE, VOCATIONAL, UH, PROGRAMS AND DIFFERENT WORK ENVIRONMENTS, AND HELPING TO DEVELOP YOUR CHILD'S INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS THROUGH HOUSEHOLD TASK.
GETTING AROUND THE COMMUNITY AND MONEY MANAGEMENT ARE ALL GREAT TRANSITION SKILLS WHICH PARENTS CAN SUPPORT WITH.
SO THERE ARE OFTENTIMES STUDENTS WHO, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY, IF, IF YOU AS A PARENT TAKE YOUR CHILD SOMEWHERE AND SHOW THEM WHAT WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING, MAYBE IT'S LIKE JOB SHADOWING.
YOU MIGHT EVEN GO JUST TO THE BARBER AND THE CHILD CAN LOOK AT WHAT THE BARBER
[01:00:01]
IS DOING AND JUST TRY TO SAY, HEY, IS THIS SOMETHING I I FIND INTERESTING THAT I WOULD LIKE, RIGHT? THAT MIGHT GET THEIR, THEIR, UH, INTEREST, RIGHT? THAT MIGHT, THAT MIGHT SPARK INTEREST IN THAT, IN THAT FIELD.AND THAT, AND ALSO WHEN WE TAKE 'EM TO THESE FIELD TRIPS, RIGHT? THEY GET TO SEE THESE THINGS, THESE PROGRAMS FIRSTHAND, AND THEY WATCH PEOPLE WHO ARE OF THEIR AGE RANGE, YOU KNOW, CUTTING HAIR OR FOR EXAMPLE, THAT REALLY WONDERFUL AUTO SHOP THERE AT TRADE TECH WHERE THEY GET TO SEE PEOPLE THEIR OWN AGE, UH, DOING ALIGNMENTS AND WORKING ON CARS OR, OR, UH, ALREADY WORKING WITH MTA OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, AND WITH THESE TRANSITION ASSESSMENTS, RIGHT, WE COULD, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S ONE, UH, CALLED CALIFORNIA CAREER ZONE.
WE THEN CAN INTRODUCE THEM TO OTHER KINDS OF CAREERS THAT ARE RELATED TO WHAT THEIR ASSESSMENT MAY HAVE, UH, SAID.
FOR EXAMPLE, MAYBE THEY, THEIR TOP INTEREST DOMAIN IS REALISTIC, MEANING THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY LIKE WORKING WITH TOOLS, MACHINES WITH THEIR HANDS, YOU KNOW, THEN IT WILL GIVE THEM AN ENTIRE LIST OF CAREERS, MANY OF WHICH MAYBE THEY'VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT THEY MIGHT LIKE.
AND SO THAT'S ANOTHER WAY THAT WE SUPPORT THEM BY GETTING THEM TO EXPLORE, RIGHT? AND THAT WAY WHEN YOU GO TO THESE FIELD TRIPS, THEY KIND OF HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY MIGHT LIKE, AND THAT WAY THEY CAN DECIDE WHAT POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTION TO GO TO.
AND THAT WAY THEY CAN DECIDE WHAT CAREER THEY WANT TO HAVE INSTEAD OF JUST A JOB KIND OF BEING FORCED UPON THEM BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA GET A JOB.
AS MS. TOGE SHARED EARLIER IN RESPONSE TO, UM, MS. DURAN AND MS. SANCHEZ, WE DO HAVE A CONSOLIDATED FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PLAN, UH, CALENDAR, WHICH CAPTURES ALL THE SCHOOL SITE TRAININGS PROVIDED BY TRANSITION TEACHERS ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.
THE CALENDAR IS A LIVE LINK AND IS UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS TEACHERS ADD A NEW TRAININGS.
THESE TRAININGS ARE PROVIDED AT SCHOOLS IN COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOL PARENT CENTERS, AND IN THE OTHER WAYS THAT MS. TOGE DESCRIBED.
TO ACCESS THE CALENDAR, YOU CAN USE THE QR CODE OR ACCESS, UM, OR VISIT HTTPS SLASH FORWARD SLASH BITLY SLASH DOTS E CALENDAR.
UM, LAST YEAR FOR THE 25TH, 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR, THERE WERE OVER 250 PARENT TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES HELD BY TRANSITION TEACHERS.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL PARENTS SO THAT THEY CAN ATTEND, UM, ANY PARENT TRAINING THAT IS, UM, THAT THEY WOULD DESIRE TO, THEY'D LIKE TO TRAIN, UM, ATTEND.
UH, CURRENTLY TRANSITION TEACHERS ARE SCHEDULING THEIR PARENT TRAININGS FOR THE 26 27 SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, THE, UH, UPDATED FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR WILL BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
AND FINALLY, OUR WEBSITE CONTAINS MANY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
THEY ARE, ARE INTENDED TO ASSIST YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES AS THEY TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO ADULT LIFE.
RESOURCES REFLECT NATIONAL RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICES IN THE AREA OF TRANSITION AND INCLUDE POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS, UM, SUCH AS THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, FOSTER CARE, FAMILY RESOURCE, NETWORKS OF CALIFORNIA TRANSITION, TIPS FOR FAMILY, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE.
SO, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE.
THE QR CODE AND THE URL IS UM, DISPLAYED.
AND I DID WRITE DOWN SOMETHING YOU SAID, UM, CHI AND GREGO, YOU SAID, HOW DO STUDENTS FEEL ABOUT TRANSITION SERVICES THEY RECEIVE AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO, UH, END OUR PRESENTATION WITH YOU THAN TO, UM, ALLOW THE STUDENTS TO SPEAK TO WHAT THEY THINK AND HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THE TRANSITION SERVICES? SO WE PUT TOGETHER A SHORT VIDEO, SIX MINUTE VIDEO, UM, BECAUSE WE DO WANNA FOCUS ON OUR STUDENTS' VOICES.
UM, AND THE BEGINNING OF THE VIDEO, UM, YOU'LL JUST HEAR STUDENTS.
SO IT'S A DARK SCREEN THAT'S FOR STYLIST, STYLISTIC EFFECTS.
THE, THE VIDEO IS WORKING PROPERLY.
UM, BUT WE DID WANT TO, UM, SHARE, UM, WHAT THEY SAID AND, UH, THE EXPERIENCES THEY HAD.
I WAS LIKE, WHERE AM I GOING? WHERE AM I? JUST WHEN I, WHEN I HAD A TEACHER RIGHT THERE TO TELL ME, OH, YOU WANNA GO TO COLLEGE? YES.
OH, YOU WANNA GO TO TRADE TECH? THEY HAVE DESIGN, THEY HAVE THIS.
NOT ONLY DID HE HELP ME, HE HELPED A LOT OF US ABILITY THIS YEAR.
I WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN WORKABILITY THIS YEAR.
'CAUSE I WANTED TO PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE.
SO WHEN I LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL, I CAN HAVE A, I KNOW IT'S LIKE TO HAVE A JOB AND FOLLOW UNDERSTANDINGS OF THAT.
[01:05:01]
CAN UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT JUST, HEY, YOU'RE GETTING PAID, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A SET LIST OF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO AND WHAT TO FOLLOW.I LOVED WORKING AT MY SCHOOL BECAUSE I GOT TO MEET A LOT OF STUDENTS AND, UH, TALK WITH A LOT OF MY CLASSMATES AND HELP THEM OUT WITH THEIR WORK.
I ALSO GOT TO ENSURE THAT MY SCHOOL HAD A REALLY CLEAN ENVIRONMENT WITHIN OUR LIBRARIES OR OUTSIDE, LIKE THE LUNCH TABLES AND THE BLACKTOPS.
UH, MY EXPERIENCE, THE TTP PROGRAM WAS HONESTLY BETTER THAN I EXPECTED.
UH, IT REALLY HELPED ME GATHER A LOT OF LIKE INFORMATION HOW TO BE LIKE A PROFESSIONAL WORKER IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT, CHILL WITH MY CO UH, COWORKERS AND ALSO LIKE HOW TO GET A RHYTHM OF LIKE HOW TO DO THINGS AROUND LIKE A WORKSPACE AREA.
IT WORKED AT A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR A GOOD WHILE AND IT TAUGHT ME HOW TO LIKE, OH, ASSOCIATE AND HOW TO LIKE ASSESS WHAT THE SITUATION WITH DIFFERENT, LIKE STUDENTS WERE WHAT NEEDS NEEDED TO BE MET.
HE ALSO IS STILL HELPING ME GET A JOB, WHICH NOW I DO WORK.
SO I THINK THAT REALLY HELPED ME BEING AN EXPERIENCE TO WORK AFTER SCHOOL.
THE LAST PROGRAM HAS HELPED ME GAIN WORKING EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR WORKING PROGRAM.
AND I WAS ABLE TO GAIN EXPERIENCE IN A WORKING FIELD AND I WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO MANAGE MY LEARNING.
TP AND THE DOT HAS HELPED ME BE ABLE TO CREATE LIKE A GOOD LOOKING RESUME AND ALSO BE ABLE TO GET A JOB, WHICH HAS HELPED ME GAIN SOME EXPERIENCE THAT HAS ACTUALLY HELPED ME GET SOME EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
I ALSO GOT TO NETWORK A LITTLE BIT WITH, UM, THE PEOPLE WHO, UH, WHO WERE LIKE KIND OF MY BOSSES AND THEY WERE REALLY NICE AND I GOT A LOT OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE AND I GOT REALLY GOOD WORTH, WORTH, ETHICS.
AND I GOT TO LIKE LEARN HOW TO KEEP A GOOD SCHEDULE.
I GREW BY ON HAVING A, AN OPEN MIND AND BEING MORE PROFESSIONAL.
WHATCHA GONNA DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, I'M GONNA GO TO LONG BEACH AND STUDY WHAT I WANT TO BE STUDYING FOR, UH, AUTOMOTIVE, UH, TECHNOLOGY IN THE POWER AND PERFORMANCE FIELD.
SO I'LL BE DOING THAT FOR A YEAR AFTER HIGH SCHOOL AND FROM THERE, EITHER OPENED UP MY OWN BUSINESS OR TRY TO GET BETTER AT MY TRADE.
MS. LEON AND MS. QUEZ HELPED ME WITH A LOT OF THINGS THIS YEAR BY CHECKING IN WITH ME, MAKING SURE I COMPLETED MY FAFSA AND MY COLLEGE APPLICATIONS AND MANY MORE AND HELPING ME KEEP TRACK OF MY PROGRESS NEEDS TOO.
I'M FROM MONT HIGH AND THANKS TO MY DAD'S MAJOR, I APPLIED TO COLLEGE AND I'M GETTING MY ACCOMMODATIONS, SOME ACCOMMODATION NETWORK FOR ME.
HAVING AN INTERPRETER LEARNING CENTER, BEING GIVEN EXTRA TIME FOR TESTS, HAVING A NOTE TAKER.
'CAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD FOR A DEAF PERSON TO LOOK AT THE INTERPRETER AND TO TAKE NOTES AT THE SAME TIME.
SO IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A HEARING PERSON TAKE NOTES AND GIVE A COPY OF THEM.
THAT WAY YOU CAN JUST WATCH THE INTERPRETER.
AND, AND ALSO HE HELPED ME GET INTO TRI TECH, WHICH IS AN AMAZING COLLEGE.
I GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO DESIGN.
UH, MISS ELISE HAS HELPED ME, UH, PLAN MY POST HIGH SCHOOL PLANS BY CALLING ME IN AT LEAST LIKE THREE, THREE TIMES, THREE TIMES A MONTH, I FEEL LIKE.
AND I'LL SEE HER THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL AND I COULD ASK HER JUST QUESTIONS AND SHE'S SO HAPPY TO HELP ME AND OTHER STUDENTS THAT SHE HAS.
AND THAT'S, I'M SO, SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT BECAUSE I GOT TO GET INTO LIKE A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM AT CAL STATE LA I GET TO PURSUE MY DREAMS IN SOCIAL WORK JUST BECAUSE OF THE, THE HELP THAT SHE PROVIDED ME.
UH, MY HIGH SCHOOL YEAR, I'M GONNA START ATTENDING AT UTI.
AND SO MY GOALS, I WANNA GO TO CSUN, MAYBE BE LIKE A DIRECTOR, LIKE WORK THE DEATH MOVIES SERIES, UM, WORK.
AND I WANNA LIVE IN THE DORMS 'CAUSE I AM DONE TO HAVING MY MOM TELL ME WHAT TO DO.
ASMA IS ABOUT TO ACCEPT HER ADMISSION.
I LIKE K
[01:10:01]
THIS PROGRAM HAS ALSO HELPED ME BECOME MORE COMFORTABLE WITH MY DISABILITY AND HAS HELPED ME THINK THAT IT'S NOT AS BAD AS WE THINK IT IS.UM, THIS HAS, THIS PROGRAM HAS HELPED ME BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT.
IT ALSO HAS HELPED ME MEET PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
I GOT ACCEPTED TO THE SACRAMENTO TRIP.
MM-HMM
I PLAN MANAGING MY TIME BETTER AND MAYBE WORKING 20 HOURS A WEEK.
I TOOK THAT OPPORTUNITY AND LOOK WHERE I'M AT NOW.
I'M HAVING MY OWN FASHION SHOW.
I'M HAVING MORE CONFIDENCE IN MYSELF IN COLLEGE.
I GET TO DO A LOT OF THINGS ALSO THANKS TO DOTS.
I WAS ALSO ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ELECTION AND I WON THE ELECTION.
AND WITHIN THE ELECTION I WAS ABLE TO ADVOCATE MYSELF AND OTHER S AND L-A-U-S-D AND I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK MY MIND ON WHAT I THINK MYSELF AND S COULD BENEFIT ON.
LIKE WHAT COULD, WAS IMPROVE ON WHAT WE COULD ADD ADD TO HELP BENEFIT SPED STUDENTS.
WHAT A GREAT WAY TO END YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? FEEDBACK? YES, JANINE, THAT WAS A GREAT VIDEO.
UM, THE STUDENTS TALKED ABOUT THE WORKABILITY AND THE TPP PROGRAM.
CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THE DISTRICT ENGAGES AND PARTNERS, UH, WITH THOSE TWO PROGRAMS FOR THAT? SO ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE COLLABORATE, UM, IS WITH OUR CONTRACT AND OUR GRANT.
SO WE HAVE A GRANT THROUGH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
UM, WE GET, WE, WE APPLY FOR IT ANNUALLY AND LUCKILY WE'VE CONTINUED TO GET IT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AND IT FUNDS OUR STUDENTS' PARTICIPATION IN WORKABILITY, UM, WORKABILITY ONE IS A PROGRAM THROUGH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
NOT ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE IT.
SO WE'RE FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO GET WORKABILITY FUNDS THAT, UM, FUND FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES AS WELL AS FUND FOR THE WORK-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR DISTRICT IS ALSO FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE TRANSITION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM CONTRACT THROUGH, UM, THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION.
AND SO THAT CONTRACT ALLOWS FOR US TO INTAKE STUDENTS ANNUALLY TO BECOME DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION CLIENTS, BUT WE ACTUALLY PROVIDE THE SERVICES TO THE STUDENTS, UM, PER THE CONTRACT.
SO AS OPPOSED TO, UM, DOR DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION OFFICES, UM, TRYING TO FIND OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THEMSELVES, THEY CONTRACT WITH US TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH STUDENTS, UM, IN THEIR SCHOOLS.
AND SO STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTRACT WITH US, UM, CAN PARTICIPATE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.
USUALLY WE INTAKE THEM AROUND 10TH GRADE AND THEY CAN PARTICIPATE THROUGH 12TH GRADE.
AND WE ACTUALLY DO SUPPORT SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS FOR THE YEAR AFTER THEY GRADUATE AS WELL.
ALRIGHT, MS. MARTINEZ AND THEN MS. DAVIS.
I HAD A CO I HAD A QUICK COMMENT WHEN I WAS, UM, HEARING THE PRESENTATION.
I WAS LIKE, I WONDER WE SHOULD HAVE THAT IN MY SCHOOL.
I'M AT UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL AND AFTER SEEING THE VIDEO AND GETTING MORE INFORMATION, I WAS LIKE, OH WAIT, WE DO HAVE THOSE KIND OF PROGRAMS. AND IT'S VERY AMAZING.
'CAUSE I DO KNOW A STUDENT WHO, WHO STARTED WORKING IN THE LIBRARY AND EVEN HIS CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, HE WOULD BE SO PROUD OR THIS IS WHAT I DID, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA DO THIS.
AND HE BECAME MORE SOCIAL AND HE WAS, UM, VERY QUIET.
HE WAS, YOU KNOW, HE WAS ALWAYS, UM, RESERVED.
SO IT, I WAS LIKE, OH WOW, WE DO HAVE THESE PROGRAMS. BUT MY QUESTION IS MORE FOR KIDS, LIKE IN AN IDM PROGRAM WHO ARE MORE SEVERE, UM, HOW DO WE INCLUDE THEM OR THEIR FAMILIES TO GET THIS INFORMATION SO THEY CAN THINK OF THE FUTURE? BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW IN, IN, IN HIGH SCHOOL, WE'RE ALWAYS THINKING JUNIOR YEAR, JUNIOR YEAR IS A VERY IMPORTANT YEAR, BUT HOW ABOUT WITH THOSE SPECIAL ED STUDENTS WHO ARE MORE SEVERE? UM, HOW CAN WE FOCUS OR BRING THIS TO THEIR PARENTS SO THEY CAN BE PREPARED FOR SENIOR YEAR COMING AND EVEN AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? OH, THANKS FOR THAT.
THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE TOO.
UM, YEAH, SO OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE MORE MODERATE TO SEVERE DISABILITIES, THEY USUALLY CONTINUE IN OUR DISTRICT UNTIL AGE 22.
AND IF YOU NOTICE, TODAY'S PRESENTATION DID NOT FOCUS ON OUR AMAZING CAREER AND TRANSITION CENTERS.
UM, SO THAT WASN'T PART OF OUR PRESENTATION TODAY.
BUT OUR DISTRICT, OUR DOTS TEACHERS, UM, ONE OF
[01:15:01]
THE THINGS THAT THEY DO IS THEY START WORKING WITH THE FAMILIES OF STUDENTS AROUND THAT 11TH GRADE YEAR, BUT DEFINITELY BY THEIR 12TH GRADE YEAR AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL.AND THEY START DOING, UM, LIKE FIELD TRIPS TO THE, UM, NEARBY CAREER AND TRANSITION CENTER TO KIND OF HELP, UM, PARENTS UNDERSTAND SORT OF WHAT PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED THERE, WHY THOSE PROGRAMS MIGHT BENEFIT THEIR STUDENTS.
AND SO, UM, THEY ALSO INVITE THE NEARBY CAREER AND TRANSITION CENTER TO COME OVER TO THE HIGH SCHOOLS TO SHARE ABOUT THEIR PROGRAMS AS WELL.
SO WE ARE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND THE DOTS TEACHERS DO HELP FACILITATE THOSE CROSS CONVERSATIONS AS WELL.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE DOTS TEACHERS DO SUPPORT CAREER AND TRANSITION CENTERS.
SO WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE GOING TO THE CAREER AND TRANSITION CENTERS AND SUPPORTING THAT POPULATION.
THE CURRENT TRANSITION CENTERS ARE AMAZING AND THEY HAVE A TON OF SUPPORTS THERE, BUT OUR DOTS TEACHERS DO HAVE REALLY GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH SOME OF THESE OUTSIDE AGENCIES.
AND I OFTEN SEE THAT THEY'RE SCHEDULING, LIKE PARENT MEETINGS, PARENT TRAININGS TO BRING SOME OF THE AGENCIES IN TO SHARE INFORMATION AS WELL.
FIRST I WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHOWCASING THE DEAF STUDENT.
ACTUALLY I KNOW EXACTLY WHO THAT IS.
I'VE WORKED WITH HIM IN THE PAST, SO I AM NOT SURPRISED TO SEE HIM UP THERE.
UM, BUT THERE ARE MANY, MANY BRILLIANT DEAF STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
SO I'M KIND OF CURIOUS AS TO, YOU HAVE 86 TRANSITION TEACHERS.
HOW MANY OF THEM ACTUALLY WORK OR GO TO CAMPUSES WITH DEAF ED PROGRAMS ON THEM? SO OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS ARE SUPPORTING EVERY SINGLE HIGH SCHOOL MODEL IN OUR DISTRICT.
AND WE DO HAVE A TRANSITION TEACHER AS WELL THAT SUPPORTS MORTON.
SO OUR DEAF ED PROGRAMS ARE ON OUR DIFFERENT, UM, HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUSES.
AND OUR, OUR TRANSITION TEACHERS ARE SUPPORTING THOSE CAMPUSES.
WE ACTUALLY, LAST YEAR REDID OUR CROSS TRAINING 'CAUSE IT HAD BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO, UM, WITH MS. BOGARTS AND WE DID OUR CROSS TRAINING AGAIN LAST YEAR WHERE THEIR TEAM CAME OUT AND TRAINED OUR TEACHERS AND OUR TEAM CAME OUT AND ALSO PROVIDED TRAINING AS WELL SO THAT OUR TEACHERS COULD UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF THE DEAF POPULATION, UM, ESPECIALLY AS IT PERTAINS TO TRANSITION.
UM, AND THE COORDINATOR OF THE DEAF ED PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, SHARES WITH ME RESOURCES WHEN SHE RECEIVES THEM AND WE SHARE THOSE OUT WITH OUR STAFF AS WELL.
SO WE SERVE ALL STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF THEIR ELIGIBILITIES AND WE DO OUR BEST TO ENSURE THAT OUR TEACHERS HAVE THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SPECIALIZED POPULATIONS.
BUT THERE ISN'T A POPULATION THAT WE'RE NOT SERVING, WE'RE ENSURING THAT WE REACH ALL THE STUDENTS AT THEIR SCHOOL.
SO WHEN I SAID THAT WE SERVE NINTH, 10TH, 11TH, 12TH, THAT INCLUDES ALL OF THE STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF THEIR ELIGIBILITY.
SO DO YOU MAYBE HAVE ANY IDEA WHY THE NUMBER IS SO LOW AS FAR AS, UM, THERE'S ONLY NINE DEAF STUDENTS? YEAH, NO, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
SO PARTICIPATION IN OUR WORK-BASED LEARNING PROGRAMS, IT GETS A LITTLE BIT TRICKY BECAUSE OUR TPP CONTRACT NOW ONLY ALLOWS THEM PAR TO PARTICIPATE ONCE AND WHEN WE SAW THAT NUMBER, WE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AS WELL.
AND WE HAD 27, UM, STUDENTS WHO WERE DEAF PARTICIPATE IN THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR IN WORK-BASED, UM, LEARNING.
SO THOSE 27 STUDENTS MAY STILL BE ON OUR CONTRACT AS 12TH GRADERS, BUT ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO WORK A SECOND TIME.
THAT'S JUST THE CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS.
SO IN LOOKING AT THAT, UM, IN OUR PREVIOUS YEAR, 27, WE WERE ABOUT DOUBLE THE POPULATION OF DEAF STUDENTS, UM, IN THAT SMALL AGE RANGE, 16 AND OLDER WE HAD PUT TO WORK.
AND SO THIS YEAR WE'RE RIGHT UNDER THE NUMBER, BUT IT DOES MAKE SENSE, UM, BASED ON OUR CONTRACT, HOW IT BALANCES OUT OVER THE YEARS.
UM, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION AND THEN I CAN CALL ON SOMEONE ELSE.
UM, REGARDING THE, THE WORKABILITY UM, PROGRAM.
SO WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 713 STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED LAST YEAR.
AND, UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE IS THAT OF THE STUDENTS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE? DO YOU KNOW? WELL, I DIDN'T DO THE MATH ON THAT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE HAD 10,699 STUDENTS LAST YEAR.
SO IT'S A LITTLE LESS THAN 10%.
AND THAT'S BASED UPON THE AVAILABLE FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING THAT'S PROVIDED TO US, PROVIDED TO US.
SO WHILE NOT ALL STUDENTS GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE, WE DO HAVE OTHER WAYS THAT STUDENTS PARTICIPATE THAT ARE NOT CAPTURED IN THOSE NUMBERS.
FOR EXAMPLE, DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION RUNS THEIR OWN WORK PROGRAMS. SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO WE REFER THAT WORK THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION.
WE ALSO HAVE AN MOU WITH BRIDGES.
UM, AND BRIDGES IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS STUDENTS WHO WANT TO DIRECTLY GET A JOB BECAUSE OUR
[01:20:01]
JOBS ARE NOT JOBS, THEY'RE WORK EXPERIENCES.THEY'RE USUALLY A HUNDRED OR 120 HOURS.
AND SO STUDENTS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN BRIDGES CAN GET SUPPORT TO GO AND GET THAT DIRECT HIRE.
AND ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, OUR TEACHERS CAN ALSO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHO DO WANNA FIND A JOB, NOT A WORK EXPERIENCE, BUT A JOB.
SO THESE NUMBERS DON'T CAPTURE SORT OF SOME OF THOSE OTHER STUDENTS AND, AND NOT ALL STUDENTS WANT TO WORK.
I WILL SAY THAT IN THE SIX, SEVEN YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN IN THIS POSITION, WE HAVEN'T TURNED AWAY A STUDENT WHO WANTED TO WORK.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE, UM, HAVE HAD A NEED TO EXPLORE MORE BECAUSE ANYONE THAT'S SORT OF COME TO US AND HAS WANTED TO PARTICIPATE, WE HAVE NOT, UM, HAD TO, YOU KNOW, TELL THEM THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY AVAILABLE WORK SLOTS AT THIS POINT.
SO THE, THE CHALLENGES WITH THE WORKABILITY, UH, AND THE T-P-T-P-P IS THAT IT'S A CONTRACT WITH DEPARTMENT OF RE, NO, I'M SORRY, IT'S A CONTRACT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SO THEY HAVE LIMITATIONS AS TO HOW MUCH THEY GIVE.
SO THAT'S A, A BARRIER TO THAT BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM, BUT WE'RE LIMITED IN WHO CAN PARTICIPATE.
YEAH, SO THE UM, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, THE WORKABILITY GRANT, IT'S A SET DOLLAR AMOUNT, SO WE OBVIOUSLY WOULDN'T WANNA SPEND MORE THAN WE'RE GIVEN.
AND THEN WITH TPP, IT'S ACTUALLY BEEN REALLY GREAT BECAUSE UM, THEY HAVE TOLD US SORT OF LIKE YOU CAN PUT 225 STUDENTS TO WORK, BUT IF WE HAVE MORE STUDENTS, UM, THAT ARE ON THE CONTRACT, THEY HAVE NOT, UM, GIVEN US A CEILING OF HOW MANY STUDENTS WE CAN PUT TO WORK.
WHAT THEY'VE GIVEN US A CEILING OF IS THAT STUDENTS CAN ONLY PARTICIPATE FOR 120 HOURS.
AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SEEING THAT GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, UM, WHO ARE DEAF.
THEY PARTICIPATED ONE YEAR, BUT THEY CAN'T PARTICIPATE A SECOND YEAR.
UM, GENERALLY IT'S INTENDED FOR STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE ONCE, I MEAN IT'S A WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
WE'RE HOPING IN THE EXPERIENCE, THEY ATTAIN THE SKILLS THEY NEED AND THEN WE'RE HERE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT IF THEY DO WANNA GO AND GET A JOB.
AND THEN JUST ONE LAST QUESTION.
HOW DO THE TRANSITION TEACHERS COLLABORATE WITH THE TEACHERS AT THE SCHOOL SITE THAT THEY'RE AT? BECAUSE I WOULD IMAGINE IT'S CHALLENGING BECAUSE THEY'RE THERE PROBABLY FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT OF, IF THEY HAVE 220 STUDENTS THAT THEY HAVE TO SERVICE, THEN THEIR TIME IS PROBABLY VERY LIMITED.
AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO COLLABORATE WITH GEN ED TEACHERS AT THE SIDE, THE SPECIAL ED TEACHERS, THE ASSISTANTS, NOW MOST OF OUR TEACHERS, UM, YOU'RE RIGHT, THERE'S LIMITATIONS ON THEIR TIME, ESPECIALLY AT SOME OF THOSE SMALLER SCHOOLS, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE THINKING OF 225, A LOT OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE ABOUT THAT.
SO IF THEY'RE GOING TO A CONTINUATION SCHOOL, THEIR TIME THERE IS LIMITED AT THEIR COMPREHENSIVE SITES.
THEY'RE PART OF THE SCHOOL TEAM.
THEY ATTEND THE TUESDAY FACULTY MEETINGS.
UM, THEY ARE THERE FOR THE BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT, ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT EVENTS.
SO AT THE COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS, THEY'RE PRETTY, PRETTY SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATED.
UM, AT SOME OF THE OTHER SITES, WE ASK THEM FIRST WEEK OF THE SCHOOL YEAR TO REACH OUT TO THOSE ADMINISTRATORS AT THE SITES AND KIND OF SET UP WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THE YEAR.
IT MAY LOOK DIFFERENT AT DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, BUT THIS YEAR IT'S GOING TO INCLUDE AN UPDATED ITP TRAINING.
SO, UM, WE JUST GOT APPROVAL ON OUR REVISED ITP TRAINING.
SO ALL OF OUR TEACHERS THIS YEAR ARE GOING TO BE ASKED TO, OR HAVE BEEN ASKED TO PROVIDE THE TRAINING BY MARCH OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
AND THAT WILL GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE GOING INTO EVERY ONE OF THE SITES THAT THEY SUPPORT AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, MAKING FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT WITH THOSE TEACHERS AND YOU KNOW, PROVIDING THEM INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW ITP, UM, THE NEW ITP TRAINING, ARE THEY TRAINING SPECIAL ED TEACHERS OR GEN ED TEACHERS OR THEY'RE TRAINING SPECIAL ED TEACHERS? UM, SPECIFICALLY ON THE ITP.
BUT IN TERMS OF THE GEN ED TEACHERS, AS I SHARED, THEY ARE PART OF THE SCHOOL CAMPUSES.
AND I HAVE SEEN THE SCHOOLS REALLY INTEGRATE THEM, UM, IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, ESPECIALLY AT THE COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS.
UM, DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A QUESTION? A COMPLIMENT? YES.
COMPLIMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.
AND THAT LAST PROGRAM THAT YOU SHOWED US, I MEAN IT SAID IT ALL.
SO YOU ARE VERY, VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AND WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH REALLY FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR ALL OF OUR KIDS.
DO YOU FOLLOW UP ON THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, UM, GRADUATED OR MOVED ON IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING UP ON HOW THEIR JOB, IF THEY RETAINED OR WENT ON TO COLLEGE, DO YOU FOLLOW UP ON THEM AND GATHER ANY DATA? I'M SMILING 'CAUSE WE LOVE THAT QUESTION.
WE WERE JUST MEETING ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING.
SO, UM, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE REQUIRE US TO DO FOLLOW UP ONE YEAR AFTER STUDENTS LEAVE.
EV INDEPENDENT CHARTERS DO THAT.
BUT ACTUALLY WHAT WE IMPLEMENTED A
[01:25:01]
PILOT LAST YEAR.WE STARTED A PILOT LAST YEAR AND WE'VE NOW IMPLEMENTED AS PRACTICE WHERE WE'RE FOLLOWING UP WITH STUDENTS IN THE FALL AS WELL.
BECAUSE WHAT WE FOUND WHEN WE CALLED THEM A YEAR LATER WAS THAT THERE A YEAR WAS A LONG TIME AND THERE HAD BEEN DISCONNECT.
AND SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS A YEAR OUT, UM, WERE UNFORTUNATELY NOT WHERE THEY WANTED TO BE.
AND SO WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY IF WE CALLED THEM SOONER, TO PROVIDE THEM WITH RESOURCES AND HELP GET THEM BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
SO WE PILOTED THAT LAST YEAR WITH ABOUT 20 OF OUR TEACHERS AND THE FEEDBACK WAS PHENOMENAL.
AND I WILL SAY SOME OF THE SCHOOLS, THE SCHOOLS, THE WHOLE SCHOOLS REALLY GOT INTO IT.
UM, WE HAD AN EXAMPLE AT ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS WHERE WHEN OUR TEACHER TOOK BACK THE DATA, THE PRINCIPAL LOOKED AT THE DATA AND SAID, WOW, THESE KIDS REALLY ARE NOT WHERE WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE.
AND SO THEY IMPLEMENTED SOME STRATEGIES TO BRING THOSE KIDS BACK ON CAMPUS TO BRING SOME RESOURCES TO THEM.
AND THESE ARE KIDS THAT HAD LEFT THE YEAR BEFORE AND REENGAGED A LOT OF THOSE STUDENTS WITH THE PATHWAYS THAT THEY WANTED TO BE ON.
SO YES, WE DO IT BASED ON COMPLIANCE, BUT NOW WE ALSO HAVE A PRACTICE OF DOING IT BASED ON WHAT'S BEST FOR THE STUDENT, WHICH WE BELIEVE IS A SOONER A FALL FOLLOW UP.
SO OUR TEACHERS ARE STARTING THAT THIS WEEK.
YEAH, THAT, WELL THAT'S GREAT BECAUSE WE ULTIMATELY WANT TO WANT THEM TO SUCCEED, UM, AFTER THEY LEAVE.
BUT ALSO IT INFORMS ON WHAT, HOW TO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, UM, ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM PRIOR TO THEM LEAVING.
SO IT HELPS TO STRENGTHEN AND EVALUATE THE PROGRAMS HERE AT THE DISTRICT.
SO WHEN THEY DO LEAVE, YOU WON'T SEE THAT.
AND THEN 'CAUSE YOU'VE ADDRESSED IT BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, THE DATA YOU GATHERED.
WELL YES, BASED ON THIS PRESENTATION.
SO WHAT I NOTICED IS THAT YOU ARE SHOWING WHAT THE POLICY IS ABOUT 3 6 1 0.2 REGARDING THE SERVICES FOR TRANSITION AND GUIDELINES FOR SERVICES.
SO HOW CAN FAMILIES ACCESS THIS POLICY? BECAUSE FAMILIES SOMETIMES USE THIS AS A REFERENCE AS FAR AS THE COMMUNITY BASED COMMITTEES AND IF THEY WANT TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION, HOW CAN THEY GET IT? OR ARE THERE CERTAIN LIMITS? IS THIS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC? UM, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I KNOW OUR E-LIBRARY, UM, THE L-A-U-S-D-E LIBRARY STORES, THE DISTRICT'S POLICY DOCUMENTS.
I'M NOT PERSONALLY FAMILIAR WITH WHICH ONES ARE VIEWABLE.
I ONLY USE IT WITH MY OWN LOGIN, SO I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT ANSWER.
DOES ANYONE WELL, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT 'CAUSE I WAS TRYING TO SEARCH IT MYSELF.
JUST, YOU KNOW, DOING A A, A QUICK SEARCH AND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO ADD IT TO THE WEBSITE.
I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S OTHER, UM, DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE DISTRICT THAT PUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE MEMORANDUMS OR REFERENCES.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD JUST TO HAVE A LINK, BUT THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP MR. ANAZI.
UM, TO, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE IT SO ACCESSIBLE.
'CAUSE YOU WOULD GO TO THE SPECIAL ED, UH, DIVISION FOR INFORMATION.
SO, ALRIGHT, IF THERE'S NO MORE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
I WANNA THANK OUR EDUCATORS AND OUR, UH, COORDINATORS AND SPECIALISTS FOR DOING THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
I WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR, UH, DOTS TEACHERS AND THEY WERE THE BEST FOR SURE.
AND, UM, IT SADDENS ME THAT WE'VE GONE DOWN TO 86 IN THE WHOLE DISTRICT.
I REMEMBER WHEN WE HAD ONE AT THE SCHOOL SITE THE WHOLE TIME WHEN I FIRST STARTED TEACHING AT FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL.
AND HE WOULD TAKE THE KIDS ON FIELD TRIPS AND HE WAS PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR TEACHER AT THE SCHOOL SITE,
HE KNEW HOW TO WORK WITH THE STUDENTS, HE MOTIVATED THEM, HE INSPIRED THEM, HE LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE WERE MANY THINGS THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO, TO DO AFTER THEY LEFT.
AND SO IT MAKES ME FEEL REALLY GOOD.
SO I WANNA VALUE YOUR WORK BECAUSE YOU, YOU DO AMAZING WORK AND I CAN'T IMAGINE, UH, WORKING SUPER CLOSELY WITH 220 STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, BUT I KNOW YOU DO.
'CAUSE I KNOW THE TRANSITION TEACHERS, UH, HELP ME WITH MY STUDENTS.
SO, UM, THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN, APPRECIATION FOR TAKING THE TIME TO GET OUR STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES.
AND I WANNA THANK OUR COMMITTEE FOR ALWAYS, UH, PUTTING SOME IDEAS ON THE TABLE.
UH, WE ARE TRACKING THESE AND, UM,
[01:30:01]
WE CAN DEFINITELY PRESENT THESE TO THE DIVISION, UH, FOR FOLLOW UP.[III. Public Comment ]
GO AHEAD AND PASS IT OVER TO MR. MCLEAN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT I WANNA REMIND THE AUDIENCE THAT WHILE WE DIRECTLY CANNOT, UM, ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS FROM, FROM THIS SPACE, THE DAIS, WE HAVE STAFF MEMBERS FROM THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT YOU SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.SO NOW I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR, WELL, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO MR. MCLEAN.
UH, THE FIRST SPEAKER IS NOR MAC GONZALEZ.
YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK WHEN SHE BEGIN.
TWO STUDENTS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS TRANSITION PROCESS, ONE THAT HAS GRADUATED AND ONE THAT IS IN 11TH GRADE.
AFTER LISTENING TO THIS PRESENTATION ABOUT TRANSITION, I STILL HAVE A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION LEFT.
WHAT WE ARE LIVING TODAY IN THIS PRESENTATION REPRESENTS WHAT IS, IS WHAT OUR STUDENTS REALLY RECEIVING OR ONLY WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING.
THE PRESENTATION TELLS US THAT THE DISTRICT HAVE 19,047 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES THAT ARE 14 AND OLDER.
IT ALSO TELLS US ABOUT EMPLOYMENT, UH, UH, SELF-DETERMINATION, EVALUATIONS FOR TRANSITION, AND PREPARING FOR AFTER LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
ALL THIS SOUNDS GREAT, BUT WE COME TO THE NUMBERS THEN THE DISTRICT REPORTS ONLY 703 STUDENTS IN THE WORKABILITY ONE AND, AND TPP.
AND THAT NUMBER EXCLUDES STUDENTS THAT IN, UH, TRANSITION AND CAREER CENTERS.
SO MY QUESTION IS, AND I ASK ALL OF YOU, WHERE IS THE RESULTS FOR ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS? WHY IS IT THE, THE ITP? THE TRANSITION PLAN WITHIN THE IEP DOES NOT MEAN AUTOMATICALLY THAT THERE IS AN EFFECTIVE TRANSITION.
AND TO GIVE INFORMATION OR PUTTING RESOURCES ON SCHOOLOGY DOES NOT DEMONSTRATE THAT THE STUDENT AND DID RECEIVE INSTRUCTION, THE, UH, WORK EXPERIENCE OR THE INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED.
ALSO, IT LETS US KNOW THAT THE PARENT FAMILY PARTICIPATION IMPROVES STUDENT'S RESULTS.
HOW MANY FAMILIES WERE TRULY CONTACTED, HOW MANY STUDENTS RECEIVE THE APPROPRIATE TRANSITION, UH, SERVICES.
SO WHEN WILL WE STOP WITH THIS? BECAUSE IT'S AN EMBARRASSMENT.
I HOPE THAT YOU PAY ATTENTION.
MS. CARLA, THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOU, THAT YOU TALK SO MUCH ABOUT STUDENTS THAT NEED TO BE EMPOWERED.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS CHARISE GRUBER ON NOT MS. GRUBER.
YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK.
WHY DON'T YOU BEGIN? GOOD AFTERNOON.
MY NAME IS CHARISE GRUBER AND I AM A VERY FORTUNATE MOTHER IN, UH, WITH A STUDENT IN SECOND GRADE WITH NONVERBAL AUTISM WHO'S IN A GENERAL EDUCATION.
MY PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY, I WANT TO DIVIDE IT INTO PORT.
LET'S SEE IF I HAVE ENOUGH TIME.
THE FIRST IS, WHAT IS THE STRATEGY OR HOW IS IT THAT THE ADMINISTRATORS OR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS IN THE SCHOOLS THAT MANAGE THE IEPS AND ADDRESS SPECIAL EDUCATION ARE DIVIDED INTO SCHOOL? WHO DOES IT PERTAIN TO THAT DECISION? BECAUSE ME, AS A MOTHER OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HAVE BEEN MORE THAN ONE YEAR VISITING.
AND FOR ME, IT'S AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH YOU TO, UM, MAKE KNOWN WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE SCHOOLS WHEN WE AND OUR STUDENTS, WE AS PARENTS EXPOSE A STUDENT SITUATION.
IT'S BECAUSE IT NEEDS ATTENTION, IT NEEDS SUPPORT.
YOU CANNOT HAVE ANY DELAY BECAUSE THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WHO IS IN CHARGE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IS ALSO DIVIDING THEIR TIME AT ANOTHER SCHOOL WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IN THIS BOARD AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO DISCUSS BECAUSE IS IT A THIS A BUDGET DECISION? AND I WAS HERE
[01:35:01]
DURING THE SUMMER, I WAS IN A MEETING AND THE SUPERINTENDENT ANSWERED THE QUESTION THAT SAYS, SPECIAL EDUCATION WILL NOT SUFFER CUTS.I UNDERSTAND THAT THE BUDGET FOR THE GOVERNOR ALSO WAS NOT INCREASED, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING BY MY ATTENTION.
MY CALL FOR YOU IS TO PLEASE ADDRESS THIS.
WE AS PARENTS AND STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION CANNOT RECEIVE ANY MORE DELAYS IN ASSESSMENTS AND SUPPORTS IN SITUATIONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT OR THAT THEIR SAFETY IS AT RISK.
PLEASE ADDRESS THIS AND I AM OPEN TO SHARING MORE INFORMATION.
YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
MY NAME IS DEANNA GUILLEN AND I REPRESENT THE PARENT NETWORK FOR SCHOOL SAFETY.
I WAS LISTENING TO THE PRESENTATION AND YOU'RE DOING SOME MATH, AND WHAT I UNDERSTOOD IS THAT THESE TRANSITION PROGRAMS SUPPORT APPROXIMATELY 700 STUDENTS WITH 89 TEACHERS OR THE ONES THAT ARE IN CHARGE OF TRANSITION.
IF WE DIVIDE THAT EVERY SINGLE STAFF PERSON HAS ONLY EIGHT OR NINE STUDENTS.
IS THAT REALLY WHAT THIS PRESENTATION SAID? THAT ALL THESE PEOPLE ONLY SUPPORT 700 STUDENTS FOR ADULT LIFE TO GO TO WORK? BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN THE SAME NUMBERS.
WHEN WE HAVE STUDENT TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS THAT ARE SUPPOSEDLY SUPPORTING, UH, STUDENTS WITH 39 STUDENTS, MAYBE ONLY SEVEN OR EIGHT, THEY PUT OUR AT GRADE LEVEL.
SO I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF IT WAS THE SAME THING.
AND IF I UNDERSTOOD WRONG, THEN MAYBE WE CAN SPEAK TO MR. SOTO LATER SO THAT HE CAN MAKE THIS CLARIFICATION.
STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION NEED A LOT OF SUPPORTS, BUT YOU'RE NOT INCLUDING PARENTS.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, ADVOCACY FOR STUDENTS.
BUT TRULY I AS A MOTHER, AN ENGAGED MOTHER, I NEED SUPPORT FROM OTHER PEOPLE SO THAT I'M ABLE, THAT I GET GET HELP.
AND HOW DO YOU WANT A STUDENT WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT HAS SOMETIMES LEARNING DIFFICULTIES THAT THEY ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES, EXCLUDING THE PARENTS? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE DISTRICT WITH THE POLITICAL AGENDA THAT MS. DIEGO CIO HAVE THAT THEY WANT TO TAKE AWAY THE POLICE, THEY WANNA TAKE AWAY THE PARENTS.
THEY WANNA TAKE, OH WAIT, SCHOOL SAFETY TO DO WHAT? TO HAVE CHAOS, AND THEN WHO IS GOING TO GOVERN THIS? IT'S REALLY STAND MS. ROCIO AND MS. GRIEGO THAT YOU PUBLICLY HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT YOU HAVE A SOCIALIST AGENDA INTERCHANGE EDUCATION TO A THANK YOU.
WE AS PARENTS COME TO THIS PARENT TO CHANGE OUR FUTURE.
NOT TO GO BACK TO THE, UH, DISCUSSING THINGS, SOCIALIST SOCIALLY, DISCUSSING THINGS THAT OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS COUNTRIES DO IS ALINA TURN.
WE HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE.
MY NAME IS ALANA TARN AND I'M A PARENT OF, UH, AT THE CHANDLER ELEMENTARY LOCATED DISTRICT THREE.
I'M HERE ABOUT SOMETHING TO TALK THAT WAS NOT ADDRESSED ON THE AGENDA.
AND THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT TO MISS AND YOU KNOW, TO PUT IT UNDER THE RUG THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
I UNDERSTAND THE DISTRICT IS FACING ENORMOUS BUDGET CUTS AND THE TOUGH DECISIONS BEING MADE TODAY.
IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION YESTERDAY THAT THE CANCELING CONSOLIDATION OVER 200 PULSE PROGRAM IN LOS ANGELES AREA.
WHY ARE WE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS? EVEN MY SON IS FAR DOWN THE LINE FROM THE TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS ESSENTIAL FOR HIS SUCCESS.
IT IT BUILD TO REACH EVERY KIND OF LEARNER.
LEARNERS LIKE MY SON WESLEY, WHO HAS MODERATE AUTISM DISORDER.
KIDS LIKE WESLEY NEEDS ONE-ON-ONE HELP TO ACCESS THE SAME LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THEIR PEERS.
YOU KNOW, SMALL CLASSES LET TEACHERS FOCUS ON THEIR EACH INDIVIDUAL IEPS.
WHEN YOU CONSOLIDATE THOSE CLASSES IN GROUPS OF 20 PEOPLE, IT CREATES UNPRODUCTIVE,
[01:40:01]
INEFFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT.DANGEROUS IS COMPLETELY VIOLATES THOSE KIDS IEPS AND RIGHTS TO THEIR EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE.
STUDENTS LIKE WE NEEDS CONSISTENCY AND STRUCTURE.
THEY NEED SAME TEACHERS, SAME ROUTINE, SAME ENVIRONMENT.
THAT'S NOT A COMFORT FOR THEM.
THERE IS SUCH A GRADES WHEN TEACHERS KEEPS CHANGING, KIDS FALL BEHIND AND SPECIAL EDUCATION KIDS FALL THE HARDEST.
THE PULSE PROGRAM WORK, I SEE IT PERSONALLY.
LAST YEAR, THE SCHOOL 12 STUDENTS, WHERE THEY, THE CLASS, 50% OF THEM, SEVEN OF THEM WERE TRANSITION INTO THE REGULAR GROUP.
SO YOU DON'T CUT PROGRAMS LIKE THIS, YOU PROTECT THEM.
PLEASE EVERYBODY, WE PROTECT THESE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
OUR PRINCIPAL ALREADY PUT THE, PUT THE NOTE TO PUT THE STOP FOR THIS CUT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, BUT I'M HERE AS A, AS A PARENT, I'M BEGGING YOU.
PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LET THIS KIDS DISAPPEAR IN SILENCE.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEXANDRA BROWN.
YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I DO OFTEN AS AN AUTISTIC, UH, A MOTHER OF AN AUTISTIC CHILD.
UM, MY NAME IS ALEXANDRA BROWN.
I'M HERE LIKE ALINA TO TALK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL CLOSURE OF THE PALACE PROGRAM AT CHANDLER ELEMENTARY IN SHERMAN OAKS.
MY SON BARRETT, OR BEAR, WE OFTEN CALL HIM, IS A STUDENT OF REBECCA SANCHEZ IN PALS AT CHANDLER BEAR WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM SHORTLY AFTER HIS THIRD BIRTHDAY.
TWO MONTHS LATER HE STARTED SCHOOL AT CHANDLER AND MS. BECCA'S CLASSROOM.
BEFORE HE STARTED, MY HUSBAND AND I TOURED HER CLASS WHILE DECIDING BETWEEN L-A-U-S-D AND PRIVATE SCHOOL, I REMEMBER BEING IN AWE OF WHAT SHE HAD CREATED.
IT WAS STRUCTURED AND ACADEMIC, BUT ALSO FUN AND MAGICAL.
I WORRIED BEAR WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO ADAPT TO THAT STRUCTURE, BUT HE HAS.
AND THAT BECAUSE OF REBECCA AND HER ASSISTANCE.
LIKE IN MANY AUTISTIC CHILDREN, BEAR RELIES ON SAMENESS AND ROUTINE TO FEEL SAFE.
PALS HAS GIVEN THAT PIN, THAT SAFETY.
EVERY STUDENT IN REBECCA'S CLASS THIS YEAR WAS ALSO IN HER CLASSROOM LAST YEAR.
THESE CHILDREN HAVE GROWN TOGETHER.
THEY TRUST THEIR TEACHERS, THEIR AIDES, AND EACH OTHER.
THOSE RELATIONSHIPS CANNOT SIMPLY BE RECREATED SOMEWHERE ELSE, ESPECIALLY NOT ABRUPTLY FOR CHILDREN LIKE BARRETT.
TRUST TAKES TIME, RELATIONSHIPS TAKE TIME.
ADJUSTING TO CHANGE TAKES TIME.
CLOSING THIS CLASSROOM, NOT TO MENTION ONE MONTH AFTER THEY STARTED TAKING AWAY THEIR TEACHERS, THEIR AIDES, THEIR PEERS, THEIR ROUTINES IN THE COMMUNITY, THEY HAVE LEARNED TO TRUST.
OUR CHILDREN ARE AMONG THE MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS IN OUR DISTRICT.
ONCE THEY HAVE FOUND A PLACE WHERE THEY FEEL SAFE, UNDERSTOOD, AND SUCCESSFUL, WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO PROTECT THAT STABILITY.
WE SHOULD BE ASKING WHAT MORE WE CAN DO FOR THESE CHILDREN, NOT WHAT WE CAN POTENTIALLY TAKE AWAY FROM THEM.
OUR CHILDREN ALREADY WORK INCREDIBLY HARD EVERY DAY TO NAVIGATE A WORLD THAT IS NOT ALWAYS DESIGNED FOR THEM.
PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THEM START OVER.
ALL RIGHT, THE NEXT SPEAKERS ARE SPEAKING REMOTELY.
MARIAH, I SEE YOU'RE ON THE LINE.
PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
MIJO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE SURE CAN.
AND MY DAUGHTER IS SITTING NEXT TO ME.
MY NAME IS MIJO MARAI AND I'M A PARENT OF A THREE E LEARNER AND I'M VERY ACTIVE IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMUNITY AT THE DISTRICT AND SCHOOL LEVEL.
I'M ALSO A SPECIAL EDUCATION ATTORNEY AND AN EDUCATIONAL THERAPIST.
THANK YOU, HOPE FOR HOLDING TODAY'S MEETING.
GIVEN THE DISTRICT'S EMINENT BUDGET DEFICITS, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AT THE NEXT SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING, WHAT SPECIFIC PROGRAM STAFF AND SERVICES WILL BE REDUCED OR CUT THAT WILL HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON CHILDREN WITH IEPS.
AND SECTION 5 0 4 PLANS AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS, MANY ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ARE ASSIGNED TO MULTIPLE SCHOOLS, WHICH MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR PARENTS, SERVICE PROVIDERS AND SCHOOL STAFF TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM, WHICH CAN DELAY IEP MEETINGS, ASSESSMENT PLANS AND RELATED SERVICES.
ALSO, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AS WELL AS SERVICE PROVIDERS SUCH AS SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPISTS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS OFTEN DO NOT KNOW IF THEY WILL REMAIN AT THE SCHOOL SITE THE FOLLOWING YEAR, WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO BUILD RAPPORT WITH THE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES AS WELL AS PROVIDE CONSISTENT SERVICES.
ANOTHER ISSUE THAT FREQUENTLY HAPPENS IS THAT WHEN A SERVICE PROVIDER GOES ON MATERNITY LEAVE OR PATERNITY LEAVE, THERE IS NO COVERAGE FOR THAT PERSON.
WHILE FAMILIES MAY GET A LETTER FROM THE DISTRICT STATING AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR THAT THEY ARE OWED X NUMBERS OF COMPENSATORY SERVICES, HOW DOES THIS HELP STUDENTS? NOT ONLY DOES IT EXPOSE THE DISTRICT TO LEGAL LIABILITY OF FAILING TO IMPLEMENT THE IEP,
[01:45:01]
IT ALSO CAN CAUSE CHILDREN TO REGRESS THEIR SKILLS JUST AS THEY'RE LONG-TERM SUBSTITUTES FOR TEACHERS.THERE SHOULD BE THE SAME FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
SOME PARENTS HAVE REPORTED THAT AT THEIR IEP MEETINGS, THEY WERE TOLD THAT REQUESTING A ONE-ON-ONE AID WHILE THEIR CHILD REMAINS IN A GENERAL ED CLASSROOM IS MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN HAVING A CHILD PLACED IN A SPECIAL DAY CLASS.
THEREBY LEADING THE IP TEAM TO CONCLUDE THAT A SPECIAL DAY CLASS IS MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE IT, SINCE IT IS IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS RATIONALE AS A STUDENT IN FDC WILL NOT ONLY BE IN NON-STRUCTURED SETTINGS WITH GE STUDENTS, WHEREAS A STUDENT WITH A ONE-ON-ONE AIDE WILL BE PARTICIPATING DAILY WITH GE STUDENTS.
FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE PARENT REPRESENTATION ON THIS COMMITTEE.
THERE USED TO BE PARENTS FROM EACH REGION, BUT AS IT SEEMS RIGHT NOW, THERE'S ONLY TWO PARENTS REPRESENTING ALL OF THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE IEP.
WHY IS THERE NO REP? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
ALRIGHT, THE NEXT SPEAKER IS CONCERNED, PARENT CONCERNED PARENT.
PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
AND YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN CONCERNED PARENT.
GOOD AFTERNOON COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
AS YOU HAVE NOTICED, THE IEP PROCESS IS VERY COMPLEX AND OFTENTIMES VERY MISUNDERSTOOD, UH, VERY MISUNDERSTOOD AND VERY CONFUSING FOR PARENTS.
I WANNA POINT OUT IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION, THERE WASN'T A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE ITP AND THE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS THAT THE DISTRICT, UM, PROVIDES BECAUSE OF THE CDE FUNDING AND THE DOR PARTNERSHIPS.
I WANNA BRING YOUR ATTENTION BACK TO THE ITP, WHICH IS THE ESSENTIAL PART OF THE IEP PROCESS TO HELP STUDENTS FURTHER THEIR EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND POST-SECONDARY, UM, SUPPORTS.
SO THE REASON THE ITP IS DEVELOPED IS SO THAT, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR PAYING ATTENTION AND NOT SPEAKING DURING THE COMMENTS.
SO, UM, THE PURPOSE OF THE ITP IS TO DEVELOP THAT PLAN.
WHAT DO STUDENTS NEED TO ADVANCE TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, AND INDEPENDENT LIVING? NOW, THE THESE PLANS ARE OFTEN NOT DEVELOPED APPROPRIATELY.
LET ME REMIND YOU, THESE ARE INDIVIDUAL TRANSITION PLAN, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS DIDN'T NOTICE THAT.
IT SEEMS THAT THE DISTRICT HAS IMPLEMENTED A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
I WILL TELL YOU WHAT, MY CHILD WILL BE RECEIVING THREE GOALS AND INDEPENDENT LIVING, UM, ONE GOAL IN EACH AREA, INDEPENDENT LIVING POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THE TRANSITION TEACHER IS GOING TO MEET WITH MY CHILD ONE TIME OUT OF THE ENTIRE YEAR FOR LESS THAN 15 MINUTES? DO YOU THINK THIS IS APPROPRIATE? AND I DEFINITELY DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS IS, THIS ADDRESSES MY CHILD'S INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
SO WHY ISN'T THE DISTRICT LOOKING AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE SERVICES AND NOTICING THAT THESE SUPPORTS ARE NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE IDEA? WHERE DOES IT SAY THAT THIS, THIS PROGRAM IS APPROPRIATE TO BE IMPLEMENTED? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I WANNA ALSO RE THANK YOU.
OKAY, THE NEXT SPEAKER IS JEANETTE RAMIREZ.
I DON'T HAVE YOU ON THE LINE IN FRONT OF ME.
JEANETTE RAMIREZ, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK.
ONCE YOU BEGIN, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
JEANETTE RAMIREZ, WHEN I RAMIREZ, HELLO MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M A MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I WANNA TALK ABOUT MY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN, UM, TODAY'S SUBJECT.
THE TRANSITION TODAY IS SOMETHING A LOT OF FAMILIES FACE IN THE SCHOOLS THERE.
ALL THE DIFFERENT MATERIALS LOOK GREAT, BUT WE HAVE VERY LIMITED INFORMATION AS PARENTS AND IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN EXPLICITLY WHAT YOU SHOULD DO.
AND OUR STUDENTS, UH, DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AFTER THEY LEAVE SCHOOL.
I HAVE HAD TO INVESTIGATE FOR MY OWN ACCOUNT WHAT TO DO DURING IEPS.
AND MANY TIMES IT FEELS LIKE US PARENTS ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE TO INVESTIGATE AND ASK AND DO ALL THE DIGGING TO FIND THE INFORMATION.
ALSO, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN CHARGE OF TRANSITIONS IN THE SCHOOLS DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE TRAINING AND, UH, ACCESS TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO GIVING A FLYER ISN'T ENOUGH.
A FAMILY NEEDS ORIENTATION INFORMATION AND TO BE WALKED THROUGH THESE THINGS.
[01:50:01]
OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, I WANT TO ASK THAT YOU PLEASE REVISE HOW TO IMPLEMENT THESE TRANSITIONS IN THE ACTUAL SCHOOLS AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS INFORMATION THAT IS NECESSARY AND IMPORTANT DIRECT ITSELF TO THE PARENTS IN A PRACTICAL WAY AND A PROMPT WAY, WE NEED A TRUE PLAN FOR THEIR FUTURES.AND FAMILIES DESERVE TO KNOW HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS SPEAK.
WHY DON'T YOU BEGIN? DAVID TOSKI.
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, UH, THE TESTIMONY YOU'VE JUST HEARD IS ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING COMMENTS AND THEY RUN IN JUXTAPOSITION FOR THAT, FOR THE SHOW AND TELL AND HAPPY STORY THAT WAS PRESENTED AT THE MEETING.
THESE ARE HARDWORKING PEOPLE AND DEDICATED PEOPLE, BUT THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT WAS SAID BY THESE PARENTS AND OTHERS AND WHAT WAS PRESENTED, UM, REMINDS ME THAT THE DISTRICT WAS UNDER SCRUTINY FROM THE STATE, UH, DEPARTMENT OF ED FOR ITS INADEQUACIES ON TRANSITIONAL SERVICES.
WE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT HOW THAT HAS BEEN REMEDIED.
AND IN MANY CASES, I THINK THE PARENTS AND THOSE WHO SPOKE SHOULD BE FILING THE COMPLAINTS THAT THE CDE FOR ADDITIONAL TRANSITIONAL VIOLATIONS.
THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE NOT A JOB, BUT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE SOMETHING THAT DEVELOPS FROM KINDER ALL THE WAY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL OR TO AGE 22.
THOSE STUDENTS CAN BE FOUND TO HAVE A CONNECTION.
WE, WE ASKED, MS. GRIEGO ASKED ABOUT THIS LAST TIME, WHERE'S THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE UNIONS? UFCW IN THE SUPERMARKETS, HERE, UH, CARPENTER'S UNION, OTHER PLACES? I SENT A LETTER TO ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK, BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF INADEQUACIES.
YOU HAVE OVER $2.5 BILLION OF NEW MONEY COMING IN FROM THE GOVERNOR.
NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT IT.
IN TWO MONTHS, WE'LL HAVE A NEW CONGRESS.
THAT NEW CONGRESS WILL BE PUTTING MONEY INTO SPECIAL ED.
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS PLAN? WHERE IS THE NATIONAL AGENDA TO DO SOMETHING LIKE GAVIN NEWSOM HAS JUST DONE IN THE STATE FOR SPECIAL ED? WE HEAR THE COMPLAINTS.
AND LASTLY, AT UH, UH, GRANDVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHY ARE WE CONSTRUCTING FOR TRANSITION SERVICES? A CAR WASH AND DETAILING CENTER THAT IS THE SOFT BIGOTRY OF LOW EXPECTATIONS.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREA PRADO.
ANDREA PRADO, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ANDREA PDO AND MY DAUGHTER AVA IS A 19-YEAR-OLD SUPER SENIOR AT BEVA.
I AM HERE TODAY TO ADVOCATE FOR THE NEED OF PARAPROFESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR OUR VIRTUAL SPECIAL DAY CLASSROOMS. MY DAUGHTER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE SCHOOL WITHOUT HELP.
AND WHILE WE ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH THAT I AM ABLE TO BE HOME WITH HER AND HELP HER DURING CLASS, MANY STUDENTS DON'T HAVE THAT BENEFIT.
EVERY FAMILY HAS THEIR OWN STORY, AND THOSE STORIES VARY FROM A HEALTH WITH MULTIPLE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS TO A HOME WITH A PARENT WHO IS CARING FOR THEIR SPOUSE, TO ANOTHER PARENT WHO'S GOING THROUGH HER OWN PERSONAL HEALTH ISSUES WHILE ALL TRYING TO HELP THEIR KIDS IN SCHOOL.
KIDS IN SCHOOL, BESIDES MY DAUGHTER'S TEACHER, THERE ARE OTHER ADULTS IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT THEY'RE ALL BI IIS THERE TO ASSIST SPECIFIC STUDENTS AS PART OF THEIR IEP.
IN OUR CASE, ONE OF THE ADULTS IS ACTUALLY AN L-A-U-S-D EMPLOYEE.
AND SO SHE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, ENDS UP HELPING WITH THE WHOLE CLASS INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO ASSIST HER STUDENTS.
WHILE I WOULD NEVER SAY THAT SHE SHOULD STOP HELPING OTHER STUDENTS, IT WOULD BE AWESOME IF SHE HAD THE TIME TO DO WHAT SHE WAS HIRED TO DO.
EVERY CLASS MY DAUGHTER WAS IN WHEN SHE ATTENDED SCHOOL IN PERSON, HAD CLASSROOM AIDS TO ASSIST THE TEACHER WITH THE CLASS AS A WHOLE.
THE STUDENTS IN THESE CLASSROOMS HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF NEEDS.
ALL OF THE STUDENTS, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES NEED INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT, SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION, AND THEY ALL WOULD GREATLY BENEFIT FROM THE CHANCE TO WORK IN SMALLER GROUPS WITH THEIR PEERS WHO ARE AT THE SAME ACADEMIC LEVEL.
THIS HAPPENS IN CLASSROOMS ACROSS L-A-U-S-B SCHOOLS, EXCEPT FOR VIRTUAL ACADEMIES.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS NEED THE SAME LEVEL OF ASSISTANCE AND ATTENTION THAT THE IN-PERSON CLASSROOMS GET TO.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS VICTORIA GANNON.
VICTORIA G, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
VICTORIA G HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, WE CAN.
HI, I'M VICTORIA JEN AND ACTION PHOTO BOOTH, LLC.
MY COMMENTS REGARD L-A-U-S-D RISK MANAGEMENT.
WE PROVIDE PHOTO BOOTH SERVICES FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES INCLUDING SPECIAL ED AND DEAF STUDENTS TO
[01:55:01]
LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS INCLUDING L-A-U-S-D PLUS PRIVATE UC, AND CFU.IN FACT, I'M CURRENTLY IN DISCUSSION WITH AN L-A-U-S-D SCHOOL FOR AN EVENT JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY THAT IS NOW IN JEOPARDY BECAUSE OF THE DISTRICT'S UPDATED SEXUAL ABUSE AND MOLESTATION INSURANCE ENFORCEMENT FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY PRICING OUT LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE OURS RIGHT OUT OF THE MARKETPLACE.
WE COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE NECESSITY FOR BASIC BUSINESSES INSURANCE.
SO WE DO CARRY, BUT REQUIRING SAM INSURANCE FOR OPEN AIR NON-CUSTODIAL PHOTO BOOTH'S, ACTIVITY VENDORS IS A HUGE BARRIER FOR PERSPECTIVE.
WE CHARGE AN ALREADY DISCOUNTED RATE OF AROUND 500 PER EVENT.
THE SAM REQUIREMENT TRANSLATES TO ROUGHLY $300 PER EVENT, THUS CONSUMING 60% OF THE ENTIRE SERVICE FEE.
ANNUAL STANDALONE SAM POLICIES IN CALIFORNIA ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SECURE AND COST UPWARD OF $5,000, WHICH NO MICRO BUSINESS CAN REALISTICALLY ABSORB WITHOUT ANY GUARANTEED CONTRACT.
FOR YEARS, THE DISTRICT ALLOWED REASONABLE WAIVERS FOR ACTIVITIES LIKE OURS BECAUSE ONE, OUR PHOTO BOOTHS ARE ACTUALLY OPEN AIR SETUPS.
THEY'RE VERY HIGH VIS, NOT LITERAL AND CLOSED BOOTHS.
TWO, OUR RULES MANDATE THAT A SCHOOL APPOINTED CHAPERONE MUST BE POSTED AT OUR ACTIVITY FOR THE DURATION OF AN EVENT.
AND THREE, OUR COMPANY MAINTAINS STRICT RI WRITTEN POLICIES REGARDING SAM.
PLUS, ALL OF OUR FEMALE STAFF HAVE VOLUNTARILY BEEN LIFESCAN AND BACKGROUND CHECKED, BUT NO MORE IS THIS POLICY EXISTING.
IRONICALLY, VETTED SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE OURS WHO PROVIDE STUDENTS, UH, SERVICES TO THE SCHOOLS IN OUR COMMUNITIES ARE BEING PRICED OUT FOR WHAT WE MIGHT DO.
WHILE LARGER OUT OF AREA CORPORATIONS TAKING JUST ANOTHER JOB ARE LEFT AS THE OPTION PRIOR TO THE SIERRA L-A-U-S-D INSURANCE GUIDELINES FORM RF DASH FRM DASH 0 0 5 0.3 STATED THAT ACTUAL REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE DETERMINED BY QUOTE, THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE ACTIVITY END QUOTE.
WE ASK THAT RISK MANAGEMENT RESTORE THEIR COMMON SENSE APPROACH, REVIEW THE CURRENT POLICY AND CREATE A REASONABLE WAIVER MECHANISM FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE LOW RISK, FULLY SUPERVISED SCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS.
BLANKET SAM ENFORCEMENT DOES NOT, DOES NOT MAKE LOW RISK ACTIVITIES ANY SAFER.
IT JUST PRICES OUT TRUSTED LOCAL BUSINESSES.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS MARIA DAISY ORTIZ.
PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
I WAS WATCHING THE PRESENTATION AND I THINK THAT THE PEOPLE IN THIS DEPARTMENT PRESENTS WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT IN PRACTICE, WHAT MANY STUDENTS LIVE OR GET IS JUST A CERTIFICATION AND THEY ARE NOT PREPARED.
AND TO HAVE, UH, A JOB OPPORTUNITY, I THINK IS EVEN LESS SO TO BE EXPECTED.
SO I, I'M GLAD THAT THESE SERVICES, UH, EXIST.
THEY SHOULD HAVE MORE INFORMATION AND PEOPLE WITH EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS WHEN THEY GRADUATE, UH, SHOULD BE, IT SHOULD BE KNOWN THAT THE DATA THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE, THE GRADUATIONS, THIS, WHERE DID THEY GO AND WHERE DID THEY WORK AND A BREAKDOWN.
BUT RIGHT NOW, THESE THINGS AREN'T TRACKED.
AND THESE STUDENTS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE BEING SERVED THE LEAST AND THE PARENTS ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO FIGHT FOR THEIR STUDENTS AND WANT TO.
SO IF YOU CAN PLEASE RESPOND TO THOSE OF US WHO ARE HERE TO FIGHT FOR THEM.
THANK YOU AND HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON.
MY NAME IS CARINA LOPEZ SUNGA.
I'M CALLING TO LEAVE THIS HERE SO YOU CAN MAYBE TAKE ACTION HOPEFULLY, BECAUSE IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
IF THE DISTRICT IN LOS ANGELES HAD THE INTEREST TO WORK TO TAKE THE INDEPENDENT MONITORING THAT IS UNDER THE FEDERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE MODIFIED, UH, CHANDLER SMITH, WHERE YOU HAD TO COMPLY WITH THIS.
I, I'VE ACTUALLY ASSISTED FAMILIES WHERE THE ELIGIBILITY IS NOT CORRECT, THE SERVICES ARE NOT BEING, UH, PROVIDED.
AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO THEN PROVIDE THEM IF AN IEP TAKES SUCH A LONG TIME FOR IT TO BE DONE IN A OFFICIALLY TRANSLATED AND LEGALLY PRESENTABLE WAY? SOMETIMES IN THE MEETINGS WHEN WE KNOW AND ARE ASKING FOR AN INTERPRETER THAT IS, UH, CERTIFIED, TAKES TIME.
[02:00:01]
THERE IS VERY LITTLE PERSONNEL TO ASSIST US AND IN AS WELL AS INTERPRETERS.SO YOU NEED TO INCREMENT THIS AMOUNT.
WHY ARE YOU HIRING INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS? THAT'S THE, THAT'S WORSE FOR TRANSLATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS.
IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING THAT EVERY FAMILY IS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE.
AND IF WE ALREADY HAVE THIS SERVICE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT, WE NEED URGENTLY FOR THIS TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND THAT YOU COMPLY WITH WHAT YOU PROMISED SO THAT YOU CAN TAKE AWAY AN INDEPENDENT MONITORING INDIVIDUAL.
TRICIA RUSSE, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
UM, UH, THE PRESIDENT OF FRIENDS OF ATWATER ELEMENTARY.
I'M GOING INTO MY FOURTH YEAR IN THAT ROLE.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON THE MOST AT ATWATER AVENUE ELEMENTARY IS HAVING ONE OF THE BEST, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. SO IT WAS WITH COMPLETE DISMAY THIS MORNING WHEN DROPPING MY CHILD OFF AT SCHOOL THAT I LEARNED FROM OUR PALS FAMILIES THAT THEIR PROGRAM IS IN JEOPARDY OF BEING CUT.
UM, OUR PRINCIPAL HAS PUT IN AN APPEAL, UM, FOR THE PROGRAM TO NOT BE LOST.
UM, BUT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE WILL NOT KNOW UNTIL MID-SEPTEMBER.
AND MEANWHILE, FAMILIES HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEIR LAST DAY AT THE SCHOOL WILL BE SEPTEMBER 12TH.
UM, SO THE MESSAGING IS VERY CONFUSING FOR THESE FAMILIES, AND PARTICULARLY THE STUDENTS THAT TYPICALLY THRIVE ON ROUTINE AND CONSISTENCY.
UM, THEY ALSO HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN ANY INSTRUCTION THAT IF THE PROGRAM IS CUT, WHERE TO GO.
UM, I DO NOT HAVE A CHILD IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, BUT I DO NOT WANT THESE FAMILIES FIGHTING ALL BY THEMSELVES.
UH, I WANT TO BE IT TO BE HEARD THAT THE ALL THE COMMUNITY AT ATWATER REVENUE ELEMENTARY FEELS THIS PROGRAM IS EXTREMELY VALUABLE FOR ALL OF THE STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL.
THAT THE LESSONS LEARNED BY BEING IN COMMUNITY WITH ALL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND I AM, I'M HEARTBROKEN FOR THESE FAMILIES RIGHT NOW WHO ARE HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING LAST NIGHT, UM, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR CONTINUATION OF AGE EDUCATION WILL BE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
UM, OUR INSTRUCTOR, OUR TEACHER, MS. LEE, HAS BEEN A CRITICAL PART OF OUR SCHOOL AND AT THE SCHOOL FOR THE PAST 26 YEARS.
AND THESE CHILDREN ARE THRIVING AT OUR SCHOOL AND I DO NOT WANT THEM TO SEE THEM LEFT BEHIND.
AND THE FINAL SPEAKER IS JASON REICH.
YOU ARE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY, BUT I DO NOT HAVE YOU ONLINE.
ARE YOU IN THE ROOM? JASON? R OKAY.
THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT.
WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, TO EVERYONE, TO OUR COMMITTEE FOR ATTENDING THIS MEETING.
I WANNA THANK THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR PREPARING THIS PRESENTATION.
I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALWAYS, UH, BEING HERE AND, UH, ASKING THE QUESTIONS AND THINKING THROUGH HOW WE CAN IMPROVE SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
AND, UH, MR. MCLEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF I THANKED YOU AND OUR TRANSLATION AND OUR INTERPRETERS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR BEING HERE.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS GOING TO BE ON OCTOBER 28TH, AND, UM, I'D LIKE, UM, EVERYBODY TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES SO WE CAN TAKE A PICTURE BEFORE EVERYBODY LEAVES.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH.