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WELCOME.[I. Welcome and Opening Remarks]
TO THE SECOND SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING FOR THE 26 - ' 27 SCHOOL YEAR.I'M VERY EXCITED FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S TOPIC.
WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND FIRST, WE'RE GONNA BE LEARNING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S, UH, AGENDA ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, UH, THIS YEAR, THEIR PRIORITIES.
AND THE COMMITTEE ADVISORY, THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, ALSO KNOWN AS CAC.
THEY ARE ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE CALIFORNIA ED CODE TO ADVISE AND REVIEW THE SPECIAL EDUCATION LOCAL PLAN FOR THE AREA, I BELIEVE, SELPA.
AND THEY'RE GONNA BE SHARING THEIR PRIORITIES AROUND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE HEARING DIRECTLY FROM THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DIVISION ON THEIR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS, AND ALL OF US HERE ARE GONNA BRAINSTORM TOGETHER ON RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE CAN PROVIDE TO THE DIVISION.
UM, BUT BEFORE WE START, WHY DON'T WE GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE OURSELVES AND, UH, WHY DON'T WE BEGIN TO MY RIGHT, WE'LL MAKE OUR WAY HERE, AND THEN TO THE BACK, MS. YANG.
MY NAME IS JENNIFER YOUNG AND I AM A CLASSROOM TEACHER, SIXTH GRADE, AND I'VE BEEN WITH LAUSD FOR 26 YEARS.
I'M A SPECIAL EDUCATION ASSISTANT FOR LAUSD.
I'VE BEEN WITH DISTRICT FOR 38 YEARS AND SEIU VICE PRESIDENT.
AFTERNOON, SCOTT SCHMERLSON, BOARD PRESIDENT, LAUSD.
LUCIO RIVAS, UH, REPRESENTING BOARD DISTRICT TWO.
AND I'M CARLA GRIEGO, UH, CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE AND ALSO REPRESENTING BOARD DISTRICT FIVE.
I'M A RESOURCE TEACHER REPRESENTING THOMAS STARR KING MIDDLE SCHOOL.
MY NAME IS CHRISTINA MARTINEZ AND I'M A SPECIAL ED ASSISTANT.
GOOD AFTERNOON, JOSE SOTO, UH, DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I'M THE ADMINISTRATOR OF INSTRUCTION FOR THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
HELLO, MY NAME IS MARIA SANCHEZ.
I AM A PARENT OF A STUDENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I AM A PARENT OF A STUDENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WELL, THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
APPRECIATE YOU ALWAYS MAKING THE TREK OUT HERE TO BEAUDRY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS, UH, MEETING.
THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE ALSO HERE, UH, PARTICIPATING IN THE MEETING.
AND OF COURSE, OUR DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, WHO SUPPORTS THE WORK THAT WE DO AND DOES ALL THE WORK PREPARING FOR THIS MEETING.
AND OCTOBER IS A MONTH WHERE WE, UM, WE REMEMBER AND WE HONOR AND WE CELEBRATE, UH, DISABILITY HISTORY MONTH, DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS, ADHD AWARENESS, BLINDNESS AWARENESS, WORLD CEREBRAL PALSY, AND WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY.
UM, SO WHY DON'T WE BEGIN WITH OUR PRESENTATIONS.
UM, BUT BEFORE WE START, I WANNA REMIND THE AUDIENCE THAT WE WILL BE TAKING PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE END OF THE MEETING.
AND TO OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR THIS MEETING, WE WILL LISTEN TO EACH PRESENTATION BEFORE WE GET INTO THE DISCUSSION AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.
BUT, UH, WE WILL PAUSE AFTER OUR, UH, REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CAC GIVES THEIR PRESENTATION.
WE WILL ASK THEM QUESTIONS OR, UH, GET SOME CLARIFICATIONS AND THEN WE'LL DO THE DISTRICT PRESENTATION AND THEN WE WILL HAVE THE DISCUSSION ON THAT.
[II. Overview of the Community Advisory Committee's 2026–2027 Strategic Plan]
PASS IT OVER TO OUR FIRST PRESENTER, MS. CHRISTIE LACY, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WHO WILL BE PRESENTING ON THE 2627 PRIORITIES AROUND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.UM, YES, MY NAME'S CHRISTIE LACY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
OUR COMMITTEE AND YOURS HAVE SUCH SIMILAR GOALS, AND SO IT'S REALLY NICE TO BE ABLE TO BE HERE AND COLLABORATE AND SEE WHERE THERE'S SOME OVERLAP IN OUR IDEAS.
SO I WANTED TO SHARE A FEW THINGS THAT THE CAC IS FOCUSED ON THIS YEAR, PARTICULARLY AROUND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
UM, WE WERE WANTING TO CLOSE THE GAP.
WE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION, A LOT OF TRAININGS, A LOT OF WONDERFUL INFORMATION THAT IS BEING CREATED AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL.
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AND WE'VE SPENT THE LAST TWO YEARS REALLY FIGURING OUT WHY IT'S NOT MAKING IT TO THE PARENTS DIRECTLY.UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN REALLY FOCUSED ON ASKING PARENTS ABOUT, LOOKING AROUND ABOUT, AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF MOVEMENT AROUND THAT.
I KNOW THERE'S SOME IDEAS IN PLAY.
UM, SO SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE ALREADY MOVING AND SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE BRAND NEW.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GO OVER WHAT WE'RE, UM, WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
THE FIRST THING THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP IS AN IDEA OF STARTING A SCHOOL SITE SURVEY, SPECIFICALLY TO ESTABLISH A FAMILY FEEDBACK LOOP.
WE FEEL LIKE THIS WOULD REALLY HELP TO FIND WHERE THE BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATION IS.
THIS IS BASED OFF OF THE IDEA OF THE LISTEN AND LEARN CAMPAIGN THAT DSE LAUNCHED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO.
WE GOT SO MUCH GREAT INFORMATION, SO MANY AMAZING INITIATIVES THAT CAME OUT OF THAT.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING SMALLER DONE AT THE SCHOOL SITE, MAYBE A SURVEY OF 10 TO 15 QUESTIONS THAT GO OUT TO ALL FAMILIES OF STUDENTS WITH IEPS THAT ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THEY FEEL INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION, ABOUT WHETHER THEIR CHILDREN FEEL INVOLVED AT THE SCHOOL SITE, DIFFERENT QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE RECEIVING INFORMATION, WHETHER THEY'VE HEARD OF CERTAIN INITIATIVES THAT HAVE COME OUT THROUGH THE YEAR.
THE IDEA OF THAT IS TO CREATE A CONTINUUM AND BY COLLECTING IT AT SCHOOL SITE, WE CAN SEE THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE THRIVING.
WE CAN ALSO SEE THE SCHOOLS THAT NEED MORE SUPPORT, AND MAYBE THEY CAN EVEN GAIN SUPPORT FROM THOSE SCHOOLS THAT ARE THRIVING IN THESE, IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
WE ALSO THINK THAT THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT DATA POINT THAT ISN'T REPRESENTED BY BRINGING IT GRANULARLY DOWN TO THE SCHOOL SITE.
WE FEEL LIKE REGIONS IS TOO FAR REMOVED.
WE FEEL LIKE A LOT OF INFORMATION MAKES IT TO THE REGIONS.
SO BY GOING TO SCHOOL SITE, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY HELPFUL.
THE NEXT THING THAT I'D LIKE TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT ARE SPECIAL EDUCATION FAMILY AFFINITY GROUPS.
YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THIS MANY, MANY TIMES.
UM, AND I WAS VERY EXCITED AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.
THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION HAS PARTNERED WITH THE CAC TO CREATE AN AMAZING TOOLKIT IN THREE PARTS OF HOW TO CREATE SPECIAL EDUCATION FAMILY AFFINITY GROUPS AT THE SCHOOL SITE.
WE HOPE TO SEE THIS AROUND THE BEGINNING OF 2027 TO BE ROLLED OUT IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE THESE GROUPS.
THESE GROUPS WE'VE SEEN DO AMAZING THINGS BECAUSE IT BRINGS SPECIAL EDUCATION FAMILIES INTO THE SCHOOL SITE, A PLACE WHERE WE FEEL SOMETIMES VERY SEPARATED AND OTHERED.
A LOT OF TIMES IN PTA MEETINGS, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY THINGS THAT AFFECT OUR CHILDREN AND WE DON'T HAVE A SPACE TO DISCUSS HOW TO MAKE EVENTS MORE INCLUSIVE OR HOW TO HAVE OUR CHILDREN FEEL MORE A PART OF.
WE'VE SEEN THIS TRICKLE DOWN TO THE STUDENTS AND THAT BECAUSE WHEN THE SCHOOL SITE ITSELF BECOMES MORE INCLUSIVE AND AWARE, OUR CHILDREN FEEL SAFER, MORE AT HOME, THEY GET TO KNOW OTHER STUDENTS AND WE HAVE TRULY INCLUSIVE CAMPUSES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH EDUCATION SETTING.
THE LAST, THE LAST THING IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE SEEN, UM, STARTING TO MOVE.
WE MADE THE REQUEST TO REALLY PUSH FOR FAMILY WATCH PARTIES AT THE SCHOOL SITE.
AGAIN, WE FEEL LIKE THE SCHOOL SITE IS KEY IN ALL OF THIS.
UM, AT MY SCHOOL AND AT SEVERAL OTHER SCHOOLS, WE HAVE SEEN THESE WATCH PARTIES START TO POP UP FOR THINGS LIKE, UM, THE, UH, REGION AMBASSADOR FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I ASKED AROUND AND HAD PEOPLE ASK THEIR ADMINISTRATION WHAT MADE THEM, UH, WANT TO DO THESE AND THEY WERE S - IT WAS SUGGESTED BY THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
IT IS BEING PUSHED, IT IS BEING SUGGESTED, WHICH AGAIN BRINGS ME BACK TO THE SCHOOL SITE SURVEY OF FINDING OUT DO THESE THINGS EXIST? WHY IS IT HAPPENING AT SOME SCHOOLS AND NOT OTHERS? I THINK A HUGE PIECE OF THIS IS THAT SOME CHILDREN ARE GOING TO SCHOOL AND HAVING AN AMAZING FIVE-STAR SPECIAL EDUCATION EXPERIENCE.
AND I THINK IF THERE WAS MORE CONSISTENCY IN IMPLEMENTATION, THAT COULD BE EVERY CHILD'S EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, SOME CHILDREN ARE HAVING A VERY HARD TIME IN THEIR SPECIAL EDUCATION EXPERIENCE.
WE'D LIKE TO SEE EVERY CHILD IN LAUSD THRIVING, FEELING A PART OF, FEELING INCLUDED AND GETTING A GREAT EDUCATION AND HAVING THEIR FAMILIES FEEL LIKE THEY ARE A PART OF THE IEP PROCESS AND A PART OF THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION.
UH, SO SOME OF THE REGGA - OF THE NEXT STEPS THAT WE, UH, ARE THINKING ABOUT ARE HOW DO WE GET THEM IN, HOW DO WE GET THESE THINGS INTO THE SCHOOL SITES? WHAT SCHOOL SITES CAN WE KEEP AN EYE ON AND START TO TEST SOME OF THESE IDEAS? AND AGAIN, SOME WAY OF COLLECTING DATA AND REPORTING BACK SO WE KNOW WHAT IS WORKING, WHAT WE NEED MORE OF, WHAT SCHOOL SITES ARE SUPPORTED AND WHAT SCHOOL SITES, UM, STILL NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE SUPPORT.
I REALLY THINK THAT, UH, AS THE FOCUS, AS I'VE SEEN THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, THE FOCUS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE SCHOOL SITE ITSELF, THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE AGREE WITH.
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UM, LIKE I SAID, CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE BOARD.
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TO SEE FAMILIES AND STUDENTS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION BE ENGAGED.UH, WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY HELPFUL AND THAT THAT'S WHERE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT TRULY LIES BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHEN PARENTS ARE INVOLVED, IT MAKES STUDENTS FEEL MORE INVOLVED AND VICE VERSA.
SO THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL TODAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME SOME TIME.
SUCH, UH, GREAT, AMAZING THINGS THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING, THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THIS COMMITTEE.
AND I'M SURE IT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.
SO IT'S NICE TO SEE SOMETHING PROPOSED AND TO HEAR THAT THE DISTRICT, THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL ED IS ACTUALLY MOVING FORWARD WITH SOME OF THE IDEAS.
BUT I'M OPENING THIS UP FOR THE COMMITTEE.
UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY COMMENTS TO MS. LACY ABOUT WHAT SHE'S JUST PRESENTED.
IT'S ACTUALLY VERY INFORMATIVE TOO.
UM, BUT MY QUESTION IS AS FAR AS LIKE THE SURVEYS, WHO COMES UP WITH THESE SURVEY QUESTIONS? IS IT MORE LIKE A, UM, SCHOOL-BASED, LIKE THE SCHOOL DOES IT OR IT JUST COMES IN...
IS THERE CERTAIN QUESTIONS ALREADY SET IN PLACE, UM, JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME SCHOOLS ARE OVERWHELMED WITH THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY OR IT'S SOMETHING THAT TEACHERS COME UP WITH THESE QUESTIONS? LIKE WHO WOULD BE PROVIDING THESE QUESTIONS FOR THE PARENTS? OUR IDEA FOR THE SAKE OF ANONYMITY AND PARENTS REALLY FEELING FREE TO SPEAK WOULD BE THAT IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WAS SENT OUT MAYBE AT THE...
SENT OUT AT THE REGION LEVEL AND COLLECTED AT THE REGION LEVEL SO THAT IT DOESN'T FALL ON THE SCHOOL SITE AND THEY'RE NOT FEELING LIKE THEY NEED TO SAY SOMETHING OR NOT SAY SOMETHING BECAUSE IT'S GONNA END UP ON THE DESK OF THE PRINCIPAL.
SO IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE ABOVE THAT AND THAT THE DATA WOULD JUST BE COLLECTED AT THE SCHOOL SITE, BUT WE ARE HOPING THAT IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAPPEN OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL SITE FOR CONSISTENCY.
AWESOME THING, BECAUSE I KNOW SOME PARENTS DO HESITATE TO, YOU KNOW, TO BE HONEST, BUT IT'S BECAUSE LIKE YOU JUST MENTIONED, OH, IT'S GONNA GET TO ADMIN AND - RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THEY MIGHT NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO TO PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF THE PARENTS.
ANYBODY ELSE? THAT'S A GREAT CLARIFYING QUESTION.
MY QUESTION IS, HOW WILL THESE GOALS BE IMPLEMENTED FOR PARENTS? APOLOGIES, GO AHEAD.
THE GOALS, HOW WILL THEY BE IMPLEMENTED FOR PARENTS SO THAT THEY CAN BE INFORMED ABOUT THESE COMMITTEES, THE CAC COMMITTEE? I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THE FIRST WORD? THE...
HOW WILL WHAT BE IMPLEMENTED?
WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON IN THE CAC, THERE'S, THERE'S MORE DETAILS THAT GO INTO EACH OF THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I'VE SPOKE TO MANY OF THE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, SO WE ARE LOOKING FOR AVENUES OF HOW TO GET THIS IMPLEMENTED.
WE'VE SPOKEN DIRECTLY TO SUPERINTENDENT CHATE ABOUT THESE IDEAS AS WELL, OF ACTUALLY CREATING STRUCTURE AROUND THESE.
UM, SO DIFFERENT GOALS ARE GOING THROUGH DIFFERENT AVENUES.
THEY'RE NOT ALL COMING IN OR OUT IN ONE PARTICULAR WAY.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET TRACTION ON THESE SO THAT WE CAN START TO SEE, UH, THAT WE CAN START TO SEE OUTCOMES.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN THE COMMUNITY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS SO THAT MORE PARENTS CAN BE AWARE OF, UH, OF OUR COMMITTEE SO THAT WE CAN HEAR MORE AND MORE VOICES TO HEAR WHAT THE NEEDS ARE.
SO THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF THESE GOALS ARE BASED OFF OF, WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM PARENTS AND FAMILIES.
AND, UH, JUST A SIDE NOTE, UH, FOR ANYBODY, UH, EITHER IN THE AUDIENCE OR ANY OF OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO MAY HAVE SOME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION OR CERTAIN SPECIFIC CONCERN, WE HAVE FOLKS FROM THE SPECIAL ED DIVISION OUTSIDE WHO CAN RESPOND TO ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS.
SO, UH, JUST SO YOU KNOW THAT.
UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK? I DO HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, I LOVE THE IDEA OF DOING, ESPECIALLY LIKE A REGION-WIDE SURVEY.
UM, IS THERE A REALISTIC TIMELINE ON WHEN WE WOULD WANT SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO BE GENERATED AND THEN SENT TO THE FAMILIES AND THEN PUSHED OUT? 'CAUSE I LOVE THE IDEA OF DOING IT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO REALLY, LIKE, TAKE IN INFORMATION, SEE WHAT THEY KNOW, AND ALSO AT THE END OF THE YEAR TO POSSIBLY REVIEW, LIKE, WHAT DID YOU BENEFIT FROM THIS YEAR, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE DIFFERENTLY FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR FOR YOUR CHILD?
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UM, BUT THIS ALSO JUST GIVES ME AN IDEA OF, LIKE, WHEN CAN I PASS THESE OFF TO MY PARENTS AND KIDS FROM MY 28 CASELOAD, BECAUSE I'M CONSTANTLY IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AS WELL.OUR HOPE IS THAT IT CAN BE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE AT THE END OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
THAT IS THE HOPE THAT WE HAVE.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF THE EXTENSION OF WHERE DID WE START AND WHEN WE END AND COLLECTING THOSE TWO DATA POINTS AS A WHOLE, UM, JUST TO SEE IF THINGS CHANGED OVER THE SPAN OF THE YEAR.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL AS WELL, BUT YES, WE WOULD, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT DONE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, UM, BUT WE ARE TRYING...
IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY, REALLY NEEDED.
UM, I, I PERSONALLY, UH, DON'T LIKE TO SEE SO MUCH WORK BEING DONE TO CREATE THINGS AND THEN HAVE IT NOT GET TO THE PARENTS WHO DESPERATELY NEED IT.
ANYBODY ELSE? WELL, THANK YOU.
I JUST WANTED TO COMMEND MS. LACEY FOR HER WORK LEADING THE CAC.
UM, OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE REALLY PUSHED SOME INITIATIVES THROUGH.
I THINK THAT THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CAC AND THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL ED IS STARTING TO YIELD SOME POSITIVE STEPS IN SUPPORTING OUR FAMILIES.
UM, THE IDEAS THAT SHE'S HAVING ARE THINGS THAT WE, WE'VE HELD THE MIRROR UP, AND WE, WE, WE DID A SURVEY TWO YEARS AGO.
WE RECEIVED A LOT OF INFORMATION.
UH, I ANTICIPATE THAT IF SURVEYS WERE SENT TO SCHOOL SITES ALONE, WE'D SEE A LOT OF THE SAME, UH, THINGS BUBBLE UP.
UH, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT I THINK WE'VE LANDED ON IS COMMUNICATION.
HOW DO WE DO A BETTER JOB IN COMMUNICATING WITH OUR FAMILIES, MAKING SURE THEY RECEIVE INFORMATION, UH, LEARN ABOUT RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE WANNA CONTINUE TO BOLSTER.
I THINK THE RESOURCE FAMILY FAIRS HAVE BEEN A GREAT ADDITION TO THE SUPPORT THAT WE PROVIDE FAMILIES.
UM, JUST A, UH, A PLUG, WE HAVE OUR LAST RESOURCE FAIR, UH, THE, THE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH AT MAYA ANGELOU FOR REGENT EAST.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY TOUCHED ABOUT 500 FAMILY MEMBERS.
THEY'VE COME TO THE LAST THREE RESOURCE FAIRS, SO WE WANNA CONTINUE THAT WORK AND, UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE MORE FAMILIES ATTEND.
UH, WE'RE HOPING TO GET AT LEAST 800 THIS YEAR, WHICH WOULD BE DOUBLE WHAT WE HAD LAST YEAR.
BUT AGAIN, UH, A LOT OF THE, UM, POINTS THAT MS. LACY'S BRINGING UP ARE THINGS THAT WE AS A DIVISION ARE FOLLOWING UP AND TRYING TO BOLSTER THAT WORK AROUND COMMUNICATION, HOW WE'RE PROVIDING RESOURCE TO FAMILIES, AND WE WELCOME THE PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION WITH THE CAC.
SPEAKING OF THE FAIR, I WAS AT THE BYRD MIDDLE SCHOOL FAIR.
PARENTS GOT LOTS OF INFORMATION.
EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY AT THAT FAIR, AND, UH, LOTS OF INFORMATION WAS GIVEN, SO IT WAS VERY, VERY WORTHWHILE.
WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR DOING THIS WORK AND FOR LEADING THE WAY.
WE ALSO HAVE A MEMBER HERE IN OUR COMMITTEE WHO IS PART OF THE CAC.
AND SO WE'RE HOPING THAT MAYBE SHE CAN PARTICIPATE IN GIVING REPORT BACKS TO THE CAC, BRINGING BACK INFORMATION, GETTING FEEDBACK, ET CETERA.
JUST REALLY BUILDING THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CAC COMMITTEE AND THE SPECIAL ED COMMITTEE, AND OF COURSE, THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL ED AND HOW WE CAN MAKE ALL OF THESE THINGS HAPPEN, BECAUSE ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO COME UP WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, VIA EITHER ADMINISTRATIVELY OR THROUGH RESOLUTION WHERE WE CAN, UH, MAKE SOME OF THESE THINGS A REALITY FOR OUR FAMILIES.
BUT I WANNA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REACHING OUT TO US AND BE A PART OF THIS.
I LOOK FORWARD FOR YOU TO CONTINUE OR ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMITTEE TO COME AND SHARE INFORMATION WITH US AND COLLABORATING.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, GETTING THE WORK DONE.
ALL OF OUR MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, SO WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE AT OUR MEETINGS AS WELL SO WE CAN DISCUSS FURTHER THERE.
[III.1. Strengthening Family Engagement in Special Education]
[IV. Public Comment]
WELL, UM, WITH THAT, IN THE SPIRIT OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, WE ARE NOW GOING TO HAVE OUR SECOND PRESENTER, MS. LILIA MORAN, WHO IS A COMPLIANCE COORDINATOR UNDER SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND SHE WILL PRESENT ON STRENGTHENING FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.AGAIN, MY NAME IS LILIA MORAN.
I SERVE STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND OUR LAUSD COMMUNITY AS A COMPLIANCE COORDINATOR IN THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
TODAY'S, UH, SESSION IS FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE HAVE SOME SHARED OBJECTIVES THAT WE WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY, AND THEY START WITH ALLOWING US TO PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION ON THE LAUSD DIVISION OF SPECIAL
[00:20:01]
EDUCATION PLANNED EFFORTS TO ENGAGE AND SUPPORT FAMILIES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND THROUGH THAT, ALLOW US TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY PARTICIPATION, COMMUNICATION, AND COLLABORATION.ALONG WITH THAT, WE HAVE A PORTION OF OUR MEETING DEDICATED TO SEEKING YOUR INPUT, TO SEEKING RECOMMENDATIONS, AND FEEDBACK SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE BUILDING ON THIS.
WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY DOING? UH, THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY SMALL LIST, BUT, UH, OUR EFFORTS DEFINITELY EXPAND BEYOND THIS.
WE ARE FOCUSED ON PRIORITIZING MEANINGFUL FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, ENSURING THAT OUR FAMILIES FEEL WELCOMED, INFORMED, AND VALUED, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN BEING ACTIVE PARTNERS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE IS A QR CODE.
UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYONE FOLLOWING ALONG TODAY HAD ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION AND THE FLYERS THAT ARE CONTAINED WITHIN OUR PRESENTATION.
SO ANYONE WATCHING OR ANYONE HERE IN THE ROOM CAN JUST SCAN THAT QR CODE TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH, UH, OUR FLYERS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A NUMBER OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
UH, LISTED HERE ON THE SCREEN ARE SOME OF THE ONES THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
WE HAVE PARENT WORKSHOPS AND INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS, AS WELL AS VARIOUS, UH, MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE OR OUR CAC.
WE ARE HOSTING FAMILY FAIRS AND DIFFERENT COMMUNICATIONS ARE GOING OUT TO OUR FAMILIES.
WE, AT THOSE FAIRS, ARE PROVIDING FAMILIES WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT DIRECTLY WITH THE STAFF THAT SUPPORT STUDENTS OR THAT WORK DIRECTLY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE HAVE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REGION AMBASSADOR, UH, PARENT COUNSELING AND TRAINING AND VARIOUS OTHER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
UH, THEY'RE LISTED HERE, BUT I'LL GO THROUGH WITH THEM OR I'LL GO THROUGH WITH, UH, MORE SHARING MORE INFORMATION AS THE SLIDES ADVANCE.
I'D LIKE TO START OFF WITH OUR FAMILY RESOURCE FAIRS.
THE FLYER HERE CONTAINS INFORMATION ON ALL OF THE FAIRS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE SO FAR.
SOTO ANNOUNCED, WE HAVE OUR LAST FAIR ON NOVEMBER 7TH, BUT SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS THAT WHEN WE LAUNCHED, UH, THESE FAIRS, WE DID SO IN THE SPRING SEMESTER, UH, THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR, AND A LOT OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED WAS THAT WE WANNA GET THIS INFORMATION EARLIER.
UM, WE WISH WE WOULD'VE HAD THIS INFORMATION SOONER.
SO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ACTUALLY, UH, HAVE BEEN HOLDING OUR FAIRS DURING THE FALL SEMESTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
AGAIN, THE FEEDBACK THAT IS PROVIDED TO US IS IMPORTANT, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS INFORMATION IS HEARD AND WE ACT ACCORDINGLY, WHICH IS WHY WE HELD OUR RESOURCERS SO CLOSELY TOGETHER.
AGAIN, NOVEMBER 7TH, JUST TO PITCH, PLEASE JOIN US IN REGION EAST.
UH, IF THAT'S NOT YOUR REGION, WE STILL WELCOME YOU.
THERE MIGHT BE, UH, PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN CONNECT WITH THERE THAT CAN PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR DIRECT YOU TO RESOURCES IN YOUR REGION.
ON THIS SCREEN HERE, WE'VE SHARED SOME PHOTOS.
UH, THESE ARE JUST THE VARIOUS, UH, DEPARTMENTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT HAVE BEEN ASSISTING OUR RESOURCE FAIRS.
WE HAVE, UH, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS.
THEY'RE, UH, VARIOUS TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE HANDING OUT INFORMATION AND CONNECTING FAMILIES TO DIFFERENT RESOURCES.
THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO MAKE SOMETHING AND TAKE SOMETHING HOME.
THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO ASK QUESTIONS FOR, OF SPECIFIC PROFESSIONALS IN A SPECIFIC AREA, UH, SHOULD FAMILIES HAVE JUST VERY SPECIALIZED QUESTIONS THAT THEY CAN SPEAK DIRECTLY TO A PROFESSIONAL ABOUT.
UH, THESE ARE COMBINATION OF REGION WEST AND REGION SOUTH.
AGAIN, WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES ALSO FROM OUR C- CTC PROGRAMS, UH, THERE.
THEY'VE SHARED, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY MAKE AT THEIR SCHOOLS.
UH, THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH FAMILIES AND, UH, ANYONE THAT VISITS US.
UH, SO HERE ON THE SCREEN, WE HAVE OUR FEARLESS LEADER, DR.
WE HAVE, UH, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR DEAF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE INVITING AND CONNECTING FAMILIES TO DIFFERENT RESOURCES.
I'D LIKE TO TAKE A FEW SECONDS TO GO OVER
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THE REGION AMBASSADOR SESSIONS THAT WE ARE HOLDING THIS SCHOOL YEAR.MM, THIS FLYER IS UNIQUE IN THE WAY THAT IT GIVES ACCESSIBILITY TO ANY FAMILY MEMBER OR COMMUNITY PARTNER WHO WISHES TO JOIN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REGION AMBASSADOR SESSIONS.
UH, THE DIGITAL FLYER ALLOWS ANYONE TO CLICK ON ANY DATE AND JOIN ANY REGION SESSION.
WE DO ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO JOIN THE SESSION WHERE THEY BELONG BECAUSE THE RESOURCES OR INFORMATION ARE CATEGORIZED BY REGION, BUT ANYONE IS WELCOME TO JOIN AT, ON ANY DATE.
THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 12 SESSIONS THAT ARE BEING OFFERED THIS SCHOOL YEAR, AND THERE ARE THREE AREAS THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON.
AGAIN, BASED ON FEEDBACK THAT WAS RECEIVED FROM OUR FAMILIES, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF INQUIRIES REGARDING RELATED SERVICES, SO THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THIS YEAR'S CATALOG.
WE ALSO CONTINUOUSLY GET QUESTIONS ABOUT TRANSITION, UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR STUDENTS RIGHT AFTER THEY LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL.
SO THAT WAS A TOPIC ADDED, AND THEN POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT.
SO THESE THREE TOPICS ARE AVAILABLE.
UH, THEY ARE RECORDED AND FAMILIES CAN JOIN AT ANY REGION AT ANY TIME ON THOSE DATES LISTED.
WE ALSO OFFER PARENT COUNSELING AND TRAINING.
WE HAVE A CALENDAR THAT IS RELEASED EVERY SINGLE SEMESTER, AND IN THIS CALENDAR, WE LIST THE SESSION DATE AND THE TOPIC.
AND ANY FAMILY IN OUR LAUSD COMMUNITY OR ANYBODY INTERESTED IN THIS TOPIC MAY JOIN.
THIS FALL SEMESTER, WE ARE HOSTING 15 SESSIONS, AND THEY INCLUDE A VARIETY OF TOPICS.
SOME OF THEM INCLUDE HOW TO MAKE HOME AND SCHOOL CONNECTIONS, STUDY HABITS, FINANCIAL LITERACY, AND PARENTING STRATEGIES.
THEY'RE OFFERED EVERY WEDNESDAY, AND THEY'RE AVAILABLE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
WE'RE ALSO REALLY, UM, HAPPY TO CONTINUE THE TRANSITION AT EVERY SECONDARY SITE.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THIS MEANS THAT WE HAVE TRANSITION TEACHERS THAT HAVE DESIGNED TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED LOCALLY AT EVERY SCHOOL SITE.
AGAIN, THE INTENDED AUDIENCE IS FOR STUDENTS AT SECONDARY SITES.
WE HAVE A CALENDAR THAT IS AVAILABLE AND POSTED ONLINE WHERE A FAMILY MEMBER CAN CLICK ON THE LINK THAT IS DISPLAYED HERE ON THE SCREEN OR IN OUR WEBSITE, AND THEY ARE GUIDED TO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SESSION OFFERINGS.
UH, HERE, FAMILIES GET THE NAME OF THE SCHOOL WHERE THE TRANSITION SESSION IS BEING HELD, THEY GET THE DATE, AND THEN, UH, INFORMATION ON THE TOPIC THAT WILL BE PRESENTED.
SO IT'S VERY ACCESSIBLE AND IT IS VERY LOCALLY, UM, PROVIDED LOCALLY ACROSS OUR DISTRICT IN EVERY REGION.
WE'RE ALSO HOSTING DIPLOMA INFORMATION SESSIONS.
THE DIPLOMA INFORMATION SESSIONS, OUR PARENT WORKSHOPS, ARE BEING HELD BOTH IN THE EVENING AND ALSO DURING THE DAY.
WE HAVE FALL SESSIONS AND SPRING SESSIONS, AND HERE, FAMILIES WILL GET TO LEARN ABOUT THE CRITERIA THAT STUDENTS HAVE TOWARD EARNING A DIPLOMA, AND THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE ABILITIES.
IF OUR FAMILIES ARE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND ONE OF THESE LIVE SESSIONS, OUR DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION POSTED A VERY SPECIFIC GUIDE THAT INCLUDES THE INFORMATION THAT IS ACTUALLY SHARED WITHIN THE SESSION.
THIS GUIDE IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
IT GOES OVER THE COURSEWORK, UH, THAT MUST BE MET IN ORDER FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE ABILITIES TO EARN A DIPLOMA.
AND ALSO, IT NOTES THAT STUDENTS CAN CONTINUE TO RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES UNTIL THEY TURN 22.
WE ALSO HAVE A PARENT WORKSHOP LIBRARY, WHICH ARE OUR ASYNCHRONOUS SESSIONS.
WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THIS SCREEN IS A DISPLAY OF THE MENU OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE ON OUR WEBSITE.
WE HAVE VARIOUS RECORDED SESSIONS AVAILABLE, AND SOME OF THE TOPICS INCLUDE PREPARING FOR THE IEP TEAM MEETING, UH, WE ALSO HAVE A SESSION
[00:30:01]
ON STUDENT-LED IEPS ON MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY, UH, FOR FAMILIES THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN EXPLORING IEP RESOLUTION OPTIONS OR UNDERSTANDING EXECUTIVE FUNCTION.UH, THESE ARE AVAILABLE, UH, JUST BY CLICKING ON THE LINK.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE THE ACTUAL PRESENTATION THAT GOES ALONG WITH THE RECORDING AVAILABLE FOR FAMILIES.
AND AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, WE ALSO HAVE PARENT WORKSHOPS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A WORKSHOP THAT IS A MANDATORY WORKSHOP THAT MUST BE LED AT OUR SCHOOL SITES AND ARE BEING LED BY OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, OUR APEIS, UH, DURING THE FALL AND DURING THE SPRING.
UH, THEY, THESE SESSIONS ARE ALSO HELD AT THE REGION LEVEL, AT ALL OF OUR REGIONS, AND WE ALSO HAVE A RECORDING OF THIS ON THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO IF A FAMILY'S NOT ABLE TO ATTEND IT AT THE SCHOOL SITE OR AT THE REGION, THEY'RE STILL ABLE TO ACCESS THE SAME INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE.
WE ALSO HAVE A CAC PARTNERSHIP.
AND WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR OUR FAMILIES TO BE CONNECTED TO MORE PARENTS THAT SHARE THE SAME EXPERIENCE THAT THEY HAVE IS WE HAVE TABLE HOSTING OPPORTUNITIES AT OUR DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION EVENTS IN ADDITION TO OUR PARTNER OFFICES.
WE, UH, ENSURE THAT AT THE VERY SPECIAL ARTS FESTIVAL, THE CAC HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME TABLE HOSTING.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, AT THE COFFEE WITH OUR REGIONAL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAMS, THEY ARE PROVIDED A SMALL SEGMENT, UH, TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND ALSO TALK ABOUT THE WORK OF THE CAC.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, AT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REGION AMBASSADOR SESSIONS, WE DO ALSO HAVE A SEGMENT FOR THEM TO COME ON AND TALK ABOUT THE CAC AND THE WORK OF THE CAC AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED, AND ALSO TO PROVIDE PRESENTATIONS AT SCHOOL SITES BASED OFF OF THE REQUESTS THAT ARE RECEIVED.
ON OUR WEBSITE, A MESSAGE THAT WE CONSISTENTLY SHARE IS FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO BE INFORMED OF THE CAC AND ALSO PROVIDE THEM WITH INFORMATION ON HOW THEY CAN JOIN THE CAC.
SO THE IMAGE HERE, UH, WE HAVE THESE VIDEOS THAT TALK TO OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW TO BECOME A CAC MEMBER.
SO THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP, WE'RE TR- TRYING TO RAISE AWARENESS AND HAVE MORE PARENTS, DIFFERENT VOICES AND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES JOIN OUR CAC.
ON THE SCREEN HERE, UH, WE WANTED TO CONNECT THE CURRENT GUIDES TO OUR COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING COMMUNICATION TO FAMILIES.
SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE ARE THE IEP&U GUIDES, AND THIS INFORMS FAMILIES ABOUT THE IEP TEAM MEETING.
WE HAVE OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION RIGHTS AND THE IEP, ITP&U RATHER, THAT TALKS ABOUT TRANSITION.
UH, THE TRANSLATION THAT WAS RECENTLY DONE TO OUR GUIDES INCLUDES, UH, ENGLISH, SPANISH, AND JUST MANY, MANY OTHER LANGUAGES TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY ON HOW FAMILIES CAN PARTICIPATE DURING THE IEP TEAM MEETING.
AND SO NOW I GET TO TALK ABOUT OUR FUTURE PROJECTS.
I, UM, AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.
A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS COME FROM FEEDBACK, NOT ONLY PROVIDED BY YOU OR INPUT PROVIDED BY YOU, BUT ALSO FROM OUR CAC MEMBERS AND THROUGH THE WORK OF THE LISTEN AND LEARN CAMPAIGN.
UH, WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE IEP AND 504 VIDEO MODULE AND PRESENTING TO FAMILIES WHAT THOSE DIFFERENCES ARE AND HOW WE PROVIDE SUPPORT OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON TRAINING FOR OUR COMMUNITY REPS SO THAT THEY CAN FEEL EMPOWERED TO ASSIST AND ANSWER BASIC SPECIAL EDUCATION QUESTIONS FOR OUR FAMILIES.
AGAIN, A RECOMMENDATION AND FEEDBACK RECEIVED THROUGH THE LISTEN AND LEARN CAMPAIGN.
WE ARE CONTINUING TO DEVELOP SESSIONS BASED ON FAMILIES' NEEDS AND INTERESTS.
AND SO WHEN, UH, ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC OR A CAC MEMBER EXPRESSES SOMETHING DURING THOSE MEETINGS, THEY'RE RECORDED AND WE TAKE THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION TO DEVELOP THESE PROJECTS, UH, FOR FUTURE RELEASE.
WE'RE ALSO INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES TO UNDERSTAND AND PARTICIPATE IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION
[00:35:01]
PROCESS.UH, WE'RE CREATING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND PARENT FRIENDLY RESOURCES.
UH, I REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE RELEASING THE IEP AND YOU GUIDE AND OUR CAC MEMBERS WERE REVIEWING IT, ONE OF THEM SAID, "CAN YOU INCLUDE A NOTES SECTION ON THERE?" AND WE'RE LIKE, "YES, SOMETHING SO SIMPLE." SO ANY FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVE IS WELL TAKE, YOU KNOW, WE ACCOUNTED FOR AND WE IMPLEMENTED AS, AS APPROPRIATE.
AND WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.
SO THIS IS NOT THE ENTIRE LIST, BUT SOME OF THE ONES THAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU TODAY.
WE'RE ALSO VERY EXCITED TO, UM, ANNOUNCE THE DEAF EDUCATION FAMILY WORKSHOP SERIES.
THESE ARE CURRENTLY BEING FINALIZED, BUT, UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THEM HERE.
UH, MORE INFORMATION WILL BE COMING.
SO FOR THOSE FAMILIES OF STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF, WHO WANT TO GET MORE SUPPORT, MORE INFORMATION, WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE.
OUR WEBSITE IS A CENTRAL HUB OF INFORMATION WHERE ALL UPDATES ARE SHARED.
SO HERE WE'RE JUST PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THIS IS COMING SOON.
UH, WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE, WE HOPE THAT WE CAN INCREASE FAMILY KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE.
WE WANT OUR FAMILIES TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS AND FEEL LIKE THEY'RE MAKING THOSE MEANINGFUL INFORMED DECISIONS FOR THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION.
WE WANT THE PROCESS TO BE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND AND ACCESS.
WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE BROADER FAMILY PARTICIPATION AND BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS AND TRUST.
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT FAMILIES PERSPECTIVES HELP GUIDE OUR WORK.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS.
AND WITH THAT, I'VE, I'VE PROVIDED A LOT OF INFORMATION.
UH, WE DO ASK FOR INPUT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS HERE JUST FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, UH, BUT WE DO INVITE ANY COMMENT AND FEEDBACK THAT YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING OUR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS.
REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE INFORMATION YOU'VE GIVEN, ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU ARE TAKING THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE LISTEN AND LEARN CAMPAIGN AND BRINGING IT TO LIFE.
SO VERY MUCH GRATITUDE TO OUR DIVISION OF SPECIAL ED.
SOTO, I KNOW THAT'S BEEN VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE BUILD TRUST, RIGHT? WHEN PEOPLE SAY, SHARE THINGS WITH US, WE SAY WE'RE GONNA TAKE THAT INTO, INTO CONSIDERATION AND THEN WE MAKE IT HAPPEN.
AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE DOING.
I KNOW IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
AND, UM, BUT IT'S GOOD THAT IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS BECAUSE THEN THERE'S ALWAYS WAYS TO SHIFT IF WE NEED TO.
UH, SO I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP TO OUR COMMITTEE.
WE CERTAINLY HAVE LOTS OF COMMENTS.
I THINK WE, WE CAN RESPOND TO ANY OF THEIR QUESTIONS.
YOU CAN PROVIDE YOUR IDEAS AND YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, AND WHATEVER WE GOT.
SO SCOTT, WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD.
SO ON THE SHEET, EMPOWERING FAMILIES THROUGH THE IEP PROCESS, YOU MENTIONED ABOUT, UM, A FACILITATED AT SCHOOL SITES BY THE APEIS DURING FALL AND SPRING SEMESTER.
SO WHO DOES IT IN SECONDARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL? WE DON'T HAVE APAIS HERE.
SO WE, WE DEFINITELY HAVE, UH, MONTHLY APIS MEETINGS WHERE THE SECONDARY AP OVER SPECIAL ED ATTENDS.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ALSO ENCOURAGE OUR SECONDARY APS TO LEAD AT THEIR SCHOOL SITES.
SO A LOT OF THE TRAININGS THAT WE HAVE FOR APISS, THEY'RE ALL INVITED AND THEY ATTEND.
LIKE FOR TODAY, FOR EXAMPLE, TODAY WE HAD OUR APIS MEETING AND WE HAD OUR SECONDARY FOLKS ATTEND AND OUR GENERIC APS.
UH, SO WE ENCOURAGED OUR SECONDARY FOLKS TO, TO LEAD THESE TRAININGS AT THEIR SCHOOL SITES.
SO I WOULD ONLY REQUEST THAT WE MENTION THAT AT SECONDARY SCHOOLS, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, UH, TRAINING AT THE SCHOOL SITES BY A, A, AN AP.
I DON'T WANT THEM TO THINK IT'S ONLY AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, EVEN THOUGH - YEAH.
YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT, BUT I WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT WE ALSO DO IT AT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL.
THANKS FOR ALL THE INFORMATION.
UM, SO FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION RE- REGION AMBASSADOR, I HA - MY QUESTION WAS, I SEE THAT THERE'S SPECIFIC SESSIONS FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD, AND IT'S ONLY FROM 9:00 TO 10:30.
UM, MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE OTHER TIMES, LIKE WITHIN THE FUTURE, JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME WORKING PARENTS THAT CAN MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, TO THESE MEETINGS AND MAYBE THEY'LL
[00:40:01]
BE INTERESTED TO GET INFORMED OR HOW CAN THEY GET INVOLVED? WOULD THERE BE OTHER TIMES IN THE FUTURE FOR, YOU KNOW, OTHER TIMES THAT PARENTS CAN DROP IN AND, IN THESE SESSIONS? THAT'S A GREAT POINT.WE WILL WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS, THE OFFICE OF STUDENT, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WHO WE'VE PARTNERED WITH TO PROVIDE THESE SESSIONS SO THAT IF IT'S AVAILABLE AT ALL OF OUR REGIONS, SO DEFINITELY A TIME, A CHANGE IN TIME TO PROVIDE GREATER ACCESSIBILITY IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE BACK TO THEM, AND WE ARE DEFINITELY MORE THAN WILLING TO, UM, PROVIDE SESSIONS AT A DIFFERENT TIME.
JUST TO ADD TO THAT REALLY QUICKLY, UM, THE SESSIONS FOR OUR REGION AMBASSADORS ARE HOSTED BY OUR STUDENT FAMILY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
WE'RE GUEST SPEAKERS AT THOSE EVENTS, UM, SO WE CAN CERTAINLY SHARE THE QUESTION BACK WITH THEM TO SEE WHAT OPPORTUNITIES THERE ARE TO EXPAND THE TIMEFRAMES.
UM, IT IS ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING THOSE SESSIONS ARE RECORDED, AND PARENTS ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND IN A HYBRID FASHION.
SO PARENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, I BELIEVE, TO PREVENT, UH, TO, UH, ATTEND VIRTUALLY.
SO WE OFFER A LOT OF, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR, UH, STUDENT FAMILY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM TO ALSO GET THAT INFORMATION.
SO WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH THEM.
WE THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND I WOULD LIKE TO...
ABOUT WHAT IS HERE ABOUT THE FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU DO FOR THE SPECIALIST IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND HAMDI, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A PROPOSAL WHERE IT'S JUST TO IMPLEMENT A PILOT PROGRAM IN THE FOUR REGIONS SELECTING THREE SCHOOLS BY REGION, UM, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL, A TOTAL OF 12 SCHOOLS ON THE WORKSHOPS ON P - UH, PRE - UM, IN-PERSON AND, UH, ONLINE AND TO IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OF THE FAMILIES AND TO MEASURE RESULTS TO, UH, F - UM, ENCOURAGE IN-PERSON TO KNOW ABOUT THE CONCERNS AND EXPERIENCES OF THE PARENTS, HOW IT WILL BE ORGANIZED AND WITH WHAT RESPONSIBILITY.
IT WOULD BE WITH THE AID OF, UH, DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION BY REGION AND AN ADMINISTRATOR WITH THE RELATED RESPONSIBILITY WITH THE APIS OR ASSIGNED ADMINISTRATORS, SPECIALISTS AND AMBASSADORS, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND, UH, COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES.
THE SECOND PROPOSAL WOULD BE TO SUPPORT PARENTS THAT WORK AND TO PROPOSE THAT THE DISTRICT FACILITATE THE PARENTS WHO WORK IN WORKSHOPS THAT ARE INFORMATIONAL AND TRAININGS ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION, UH, CARRIED OUT IN THEIR SCHOOLS.
THE SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE A INVITATION LETTER AND EVIDENCE OF THE PARENTS' PARTICIPATION THAT WOULD BE THE DATE AND TIME SO THAT PARENTS ARE ABLE TO...
CAN GIVE IT TO THEIR EMPLOYER.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE DISTRICT TO INFORM, UH, FAMILIES ABOUT THE LABOR CODE, UH, 230 POINT ANOTHER NUMBER AND SO THAT ALL THESE ACTIVITIES ARE COVERED UNDER THIS LAW THAT COVERS PARENTS' PARTICIPATION.
TO ORGANIZE THIS, IT WOULD BE THE PARTICIPATION OF THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE STUDENT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT OFFICE, UH, OPERATIONS AND PARENT CENTER.
AND I WANTED TO SAY IS THAT WITH THIS, UH, IMPLEMENTATION, THE PARTICIPATION IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL OF PARENTS WOULD BE ABOUT THE NEEDS AND CONCERNS EXPRESSED FROM THE PARENTS USING FROM THE TOPICS AND WORKSHOPS THAT ARE OF GREATEST INTEREST.
RECOMMENDATION TO IMPROVE AND EXTEND THIS PROGRAM TO OTHER SCHOOLS.
SHE ALSO PUT IT IN WRITING, SO SHE SHARED A LOT.
WE'RE GONNA HAND IT TO YOU AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN BE- BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, MAYBE FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND IF NOT, THEN WE CAN TAKE IT UP AS A...
SOMETHING THAT WE COULD RECOMMEND AS A COMMITTEE.
UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
I WONDER, IS THERE ANY FEEDBACK TO THE INFORMATION THAT MS. UH, DURAN JUST SHARED? UM, ANYTHING WE CAN BUILD ON, BUILDING ON IDEAS?
[00:45:01]
CHRISTINA? YEAH, SO WE ACTUALLY WERE TALKING, UM, IN THE BACK ABOUT IT, AND WE WERE...WE HAD MENTIONED WITH, UH, MS. KENYA THAT, YOU KNOW, SURVEYS WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT.
I FEEL SURVEYS ARE VERY CRUCIAL AND TO, JUST TO GET A FEEDBACK OF, OF THE PARENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE PRIORITY TO...
I MEAN, THE KIDS ARE PRIORITY, BUT YET WE HAVE TO KEEP THE PARENTS HAPPY AS WELL.
AND I FEEL SOMETIMES, UM, THEY'RE NOT BEING INFORMED AS THEY SHOULD BE, AND MAYBE THEM FEELING THAT THEY HAVE A VOICE AND A SAYING AND ALL OF THIS, UM, IT CAN BE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND THEN THE SAME AT THE END OF THE YEAR SO THEY CAN FEEL LIKE THE SCHOOL CARES OR THE COMMITTEE CARES OR THE DISTRICT CARES ABOUT OUR NEEDS, OUR, OUR, OUR WANTS, OUR DESIRES OR, YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS THAT THEY MAY HAVE, BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME PARENTS DO HAVE A LOT AND THEY JUST DON'T FEEL, "WHO CAN I GO TO IF MY SCHOOL'S NOT PROVIDING THAT SUPPORT OR ANYTHING?" SO YEAH, SO THANK YOU.
I THINK A LOT OF WHAT WE SPOKE WITH IN THE BACK ALSO GOES TO, LIKE, THE QUESTIONS HERE, SO I'LL JUST GO THAT ONE QUESTIONS.
UM, I THINK A LOT OF MY PARENTS HAVE MENTIONED, I WORK IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, I'VE DONE SIXTH THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE.
A LOT OF THE PARENTS MENTIONED THEY DIDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE IEP WHEN THE KIDS SHOWED UP IN SIXTH GRADE.
SO ONE THING THAT PARENTS I'VE HEARD REALLY, REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE IS AN OPPORTUNITY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO SIT WITH SOMEONE AND REVIEW WHAT THE IEP LOOKS LIKE, NOT EVEN NECESSARILY A FULL IEP MEETING, BUT JUST EXPLAIN THIS TO ME.
UM, AND IT HELPS ALSO WITH PARENTS WHO HAD THEIR IEPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS AGO, OR WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST AN UNFAMILIAR PROCESS.
MAYBE IT WAS AN INITIAL AND IT'S STILL SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE SITTING WITH.
SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL, AND WHAT MIGHT ALSO SET THEM UP WITH THE BEST SUCCESS IS AT THE END OF THE YEAR SAYING, "THESE ARE THE CHANGES WE'VE MADE THE YEAR.
FOR NEXT YEAR, THIS IS WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THE CHILD SHOWS UP TO THEIR FOLLOWING YEAR, WHEREVER THAT SCHOOL MAY BE." SO I THINK THAT TYPE OF MEETING IS WHAT WOULD BE VERY, VERY IMPACTFUL FOR THE FAMILIES, FOR THEM TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RIGHTS AND SERVICES THEIR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN AWARDED BASED ON THEIR NEEDS ARE.
UM, CHALLENGES THAT I FOUND WITH THE PARENTS THAT I'M WORKING WITH, TIME IS A BIG ONE I THINK EVERYONE'S REALLY MENTIONED, IS JUST, UM, WHETHER PARENTS ARE WORKING OR AVAILABLE DURING THE TIMES OF THESE MEETINGS.
I HAVE PARENT CALLS ON THE WEEKENDS, ON HOLIDAYS AT 5:60, 7:00 AT NIGHT, AND THESE ARE OFTENTIMES FOR EVEN, EVEN A SMALL POPULATION OF MY PARENTS, WHAT WORKS BEST FOR THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR SCHEDULING.
UM, I HAVE PARENTS WITH, LIKE, TWO, THREE JOBS WHERE THEIR TIME IS VERY, VERY LIMITED TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN STUFF LIKE THIS.
I ALSO HAVE PARENTS WITH LIMITED, UM, READING, WRITING CAPACITY, AND TECHNOLOGY CAPACITY.
SO IF THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THINGS IN PERSON WHERE SOMEONE CAN EXPLAIN AND PROVIDE THEM THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT OT IS, WHAT THIS SERVICE MEANS, WHAT IS THE CHILD DOING WHEN THEY'RE RECEIVING THIS ACCOMMODATION OR SUPPORT, I THINK THAT WILL HELP CLARIFY FOR A LOT OF THEM HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO SPEAK UP AND ADVOCATE FOR THEIR KIDS AND PRESS FORWARD SAYING WHETHER THE SERVICES ARE BEING PROVIDED OR NOT.
UM, COMMUNICATION FOR SOME OF MY FAMILIES, LIKE I SAID, PHONES AND TECHNOLOGY MAY BE VERY LIMITING WHERE I CAN TEXT PARENTS AND THE ONLY WAY THEY'LL RESPOND IS WITH A CALL.
SO SOMETIMES EMAILS ARE GREAT, THE ROBO-TEXTS ARE COOL, BUT IF WE HAVE A LACK OF ENGAGEMENT FROM CERTAIN FAMILIES, HAVING THE FOLLOW THROUGH WITH DOING AN ACTUAL PHONE CALL OR EVEN SENDING A PHYSICAL PAPER HOME, THAT WAY WE CAN SEE THAT SOMETHING'S GOTTEN HOME AND THERE'S SOME KIND OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THERE.
'CAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF MY FAMILIES REALLY STRUGGLE WITH FREQUENT EMAILS AND ESPECIALLY THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE JUST COMING FROM THE DISTRICT AS AN EMAIL BLAST.
SO IF IT'S ABLE TO BE BROUGHT TO THE FAMILIES THROUGH A CASE MANAGER, SOMEONE WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THE CHILD'S IEP, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I PROVIDE PCT TO ALL MY PARENTS, UM, AND I'M ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE LIST OF CLASSES BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT WAS AVAILABLE, BUT I FIND THAT A LOT OF MY PARENTS ARE LIKE, "YEAH, I GET LIKE A MILLION EMAILS FROM THE DISTRICT." SO THEY'RE NOT REALLY SIFTING THROUGH THEM TO SEE WHAT NECESSARILY IS BEING OFFERED.
BUT IF THAT CAN BE SOMETHING THAT'S PROVIDED AS LIKE AN INTRODUCTORY PACKET BY THE CASE MANAGER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, THE CASE MANAGERS ARE OFTEN SOME OF THE FEW POINTS OF CONTACT AND TRUSTING PEOPLE THAT THESE PARENTS HAVE, AND ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE WORK WITH THE KIDS ON A DAILY BASIS.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY IMPACTFUL.
AND THEN PRIORITIZING HOW TO HAVE THEM ACCESS RESOURCES THAT WILL THEN HELP THE PARENTS AND GUARDIANS SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN.
A LOT OF MY FAMILIES AREN'T ON PARENT PORTAL.
EVEN MY PARENTS WHO DO HAVE VERY STRONG TECHNOLOGY SKILLS, NOT ON PARENT PORTAL, BUT YOU CAN VIEW THE IEP, SIGN THE IEP, LOOK AT THE GRADES, LOOK AT SO MUCH MORE ON THERE.
I THINK THEY'RE MISSING OUT ON THE DEPTH OF RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE
[00:50:01]
TO OFFER BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO ACCESS THEM TO BEGIN WITH.RIVAS AND THEN TAMALA? WE CAN, WE CAN GO TO TAMALA.
OKAY, SO I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, THERE'S ALL THE WORKSHOPS AND THINGS FOR PARENTS, UM, IN ADDITION TO DIFFERENT LANGUAGE CHOICES.
ONE THING I'VE NOTICED IS PARENTS THAT USE ASL ARE NEVER INCLUDED OR THOUGHT OF EVER.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE WOULD MAYBE BE MORE INVOLVEMENT WITH THEM.
UM, AS A PSA COUNSELOR, I'VE DONE HOME VISITS WITH FAMILIES, THEY THEMSELVES USE ASL.
AND SO HAVING WORKSHOPS, UM, IN THEIR LANGUAGE, UM, OR ANY KIND OF INFORMATIONAL WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO THEM.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE, BUT MAYBE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE BECAUSE THEY FEEL ISOLATED THEMSELVES, UM, AND ARE NOT INCLUDED OR EVEN THOUGH OF.
EVERY LANGUAGE DIFFERENCE IS VERBAL, IT'S SPOKEN, IT'S NEVER THOSE THAT USE ASL.
I HOPE SPECIAL ED WOULD IN- INCLUDE THEM AS WELL ALONG WITH THEIR KIDS.
I DON'T WANNA KNOW WHERE TO START.
SO I THINK WHAT'S, WHAT WILL BE GREAT IN YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, ARE, IS DATA, LIKE HOW MANY PARENTS PARTICIPATED? I'M, I'M...
IT'S WONDERFUL THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ALL THESE TRAININGS AND, YOU KNOW, THE FAIRS, UM, ALL OF THAT IS WONDERFUL.
AS BEEN MENTIONED HERE, A LOT OF THE FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, UM, ARE NOT AWARE.
AND BASED ON THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION BY MS. LACY, UM, SHE HAD WONDERFUL, YOU KNOW, THO - THE SUGGESTIONS THAT SHE MA - THAT SHE MADE, I THINK ARE IDEAL TO, FOR THIS, FOR, FOR THE TRAININGS AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE OFFERING, UM, AND ALSO TO KNOW HOW MANY PARENTS ARE PARTICIPATING.
IS THERE AN AREA OF WEAKNESS IF THERE WERE...
IS THERE MAYBE IN, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE REGION NORTH, NOT AS MANY FAMILIES ARE PARTICIPATING.
SO I THINK THE, THE SURVEY THAT, UM, MS. LACEY OR THE CAC IS RECOMMENDING, I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS ALSO TO HAVE, UM, TO ALSO GAUGE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE YOU AWARE OF THESE TRAIN...
I WAS ADDING MORE QUESTIONS TO WHAT MS. LACY HAD THERE.
ARE YOU AWARE OF THE TRAININGS OR THE RESOURCES OF YOUR CHILD HAVING THEM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND THE END OF THE YEAR? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THOSE METRICS THERE TO SEE HOW MANY MORE FAMILIES YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REACH OR HOW MANY FAMILIES DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL.
UM, AND SOMETHING THAT Y - UM, THAT YOU MENTIONED, I THINK ALL OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, VERY RELEVANT AND THE SAME THING THAT I'VE HEARD AND, AND THROUGH MY SCHOOLS AND ALSO MY PARENTS.
BUT I THINK SITTING DOWN WITH OUR CAC, UH, COMMITTEE AND THEIR IDEAS AND CONNECTING THEM TO WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON, I THINK THAT W - THAT'S IDEAL TO REALLY HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE LANDSCAPE OF OUR FA - OUR FAMILIES WITH IEPS OR FAMILIES THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST WANT INFORMATION, UM, FOR THEIR CHILD OR, YOU KNOW, OR MAYBE A RELATIVE THAT IS NOT, YOU KNOW, AVAILABLE TO ATTEND THESE, THESE TRAININGS.
BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT TO GET THAT INFORMATION OR THAT DATA, UM, AND PRESENT IT TO US AS WELL AND ALSO SHARE THAT WITH THE CAC AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING A SURVEY, HAVING SOMEBODY AT THE SCHOOL THAT CAN PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO THEM, PARTICULARLY FOR FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, OUR WORKING FAMILIES AS WELL, HAVING SOMETHING IN THE EVENING.
SO I THINK IF WE CAN PUT THESE TWO TOGETHER, I THINK WE WILL REALLY HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT FAMILIES ARE BEING INFORMED, HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION, WHO MAYBE HAS A LOT OF CONFUSION OR QUESTIONS, AND WHICH ARE THE FAMILIES THAT WE HAVE NOT EVEN CONNECTED WITH, OR VERY MINIMAL.
UM, I THINK WE, WE DEFINITELY NEED TO HAVE THAT, THAT INFORMATION.
LIKE, I'VE DEFINITELY WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IN MY BOARD DISTRICT OR REGION EAST OR REGION WEST, HOW MANY FAMILIES HAVE HAD THIS, YOU KNOW, ATTENDED THE TRAININGS, HOW MANY REALLY LOVED IT, HOW MANY WENT TO THE FAIRS, UH, HOW MANY DIDN'T? SO I THINK WE NEED TO GATHER THAT DATA TO BE ABLE TO, UH, GROW THESE, THESE TRAININGS AND PROGRAMS, AND ALSO TO IMPROVE UPON THEM, RIGHT?
[00:55:01]
SO, YEAH, I THINK THERE'S A LOT.I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE TRAININGS, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE, BE 100%, WELL, CLOSE TO 100%, UH, CERTAIN THAT THEY'RE GETTING TO OUR FAMILIES, BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING A LOT OF THE GREAT WORK AND YOU HAVE ALL THESE WORKSHOPS, BUT IF IT'S ONLY GETTING TO A, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR FAMILIES, THEN WE'RE DOING A, A BIG DISSERVICE, NOT ONLY TO YOUR WORK, BUT ALSO THE FAMILIES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SERVE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS COME UP TIME AND AGAIN, NOT JUST IN THIS COMMITTEE, BUT THROUGH PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN IN JUST GENERAL MEETINGS IS THAT ALL OF, A LOT OF THE WORKSHOPS ARE EITHER WEBINARS OR, UM, OR THEY'RE AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL, AND THERE'S VERY FEW AT THE SCHOOL SITE, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT MS. DURAN'S, UH, PROPOSAL IS TRYING TO ADDRESS.
I ALSO THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CAC IS TRYING TO, UH, ADDRESS IS THAT WE NEED THINGS MORE LOCALIZED, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE HAVE THEM EVERYWHERE.
LIKE THE TOPICS ON THE, THE, THE WORKSHOP LIBRARY ARE ALL AMAZING, BUT PEOPLE WANT THEM AT THE SCHOOL SITE.
AND SO I'M GLAD, NUMBER ONE, THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING OR YOU WILL BE CAPACITATING OUR PARENT REPS TO AT LEAST BE A RESOURCE, RIGHT, OF INFORMATION, UM, I, IF WE CAN AT LEAST BEGIN THERE.
BUT THEN ALSO BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME OF THESE, UM, AT THE SCHOOL SITE, BUT NOT, MAYBE NOT ALL OF THEM, BUT MAYBE...
I THINK YOU WERE ALLUDING TO MAYBE DOING A LOCAL SURVEY, NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT WELCOMING ENVIRONMENTS OR HOW YOU FEEL THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND CONCERNS THAT PARENTS MAY HAVE ABOUT SHARING THAT INFORMATION, BUT AT LEAST ABOUT THE TYPES OF WORKSHOPS YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS YEAR.
WHAT IS YOUR AVAILABILITY? WHEN DO YOU PREFER TO HAVE A MEETING IN PERSON, ONLINE, WHAT TIME WORKS BEST FOR YOU? BUT IT'S LIKE A LOCAL SURVEY THAT THEN COULD GUIDE THE WORK FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING, UM, UM, SOME GOALS IN MIND AS WE ARE SETTING, YOU KNOW, THESE, THESE WORKSHOPS.
SOTO SAID THEIR GOAL THIS YEAR IS 800 PARTICIPANTS IN THE, UM, IN THE RESOURCE FAIRS, WHICH I THINK IS GREAT.
I THINK WE SHOULD SET GOALS LIKE THAT.
AND I THINK THE SCHOOL SITE SHOULD ALSO SET GOALS LIKE THAT.
IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, WHEN THEY GATHER DATA, THE GOAL IS ALWAYS 75%, THAT YOU WILL, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET INFORMATION OR FEEDBACK FROM 75% OF YOUR, OF YOUR STAKEHOLDERS.
AND YOU DO IT IN MANY WAYS, YOU KNOW, SURVEYS, PHONE CALLS, FOCUS GROUPS, ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS.
SO I THINK IF WE LET FOLKS KNOW THERE'S NOT ONLY ONE WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH FOLKS, THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND AS LONG AS WE CAN GET TO, YOU KNOW, 75% OF THE, OF THE FAMILIES THAT YOU ACTUALLY MADE A CONTACT WITH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL BECAUSE THAT IS...
IF ANYTHING, THAT'S WHAT I'VE HEARD THE MOST, IS THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION AT THE SCHOOL SITE.
SO, BUT THEN MY QUESTION TO YOU IS REGARDING THE, THE ONLINE, UH, MODULES THAT YOU HAVE HERE OR THE, ANY OF THE WORKSHOPS THAT ARE ONLINE, ARE THEY WEBINARS OR ARE THEY ZOOM WHERE PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN CONVERSATION DURING THE MEETING? THE ONES THAT ARE LISTED FOR THE ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING, THOSE WERE PREVIOUSLY, UH, RECORDED.
UH, THE RECORDINGS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, UH, HAVE A LINK IN EITHER ENGLISH OR SPANISH, AND THEY ALSO HAVE THE PRESENTATION THAT IS BEING DISPLAYED DURING THE WEBINAR.
UM, SO WHAT ABOUT THE TRANSITION PARENT WORKSHOPS, THE DIPLOMA ONES? ARE THOSE RECORDED IN WEBINARS OR ARE THEY, UH, ZOOMS THAT PEOPLE CAN ENGAGE? THE TRANSITION ONE IS A UNIQUE WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS.
THEY ARE HOSTED LOCALLY AT EACH SCHOOL SITE.
AND, UH, THAT ONE IS GOING TO VARY.
BUT THE OTHER ONE THAT YOU MENTIONED, THE - DIPLOMA? DIPLOMA, THOSE ARE LIVE PRESENTATIONS.
YEAH, BECAUSE I WOULD IMAGINE P - A LOT OF QUESTIONS COMING OUT OF THESE PRESENTATIONS, RIGHT? SO, OKAY, WELL, THAT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD THAT THEY'RE LIVE PRESENTATIONS.
UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK? YES.
WELL, BEFORE, BEFORE I GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY, LET ME GIVE SOMEBODY...
YES, SENORA MARIA, SOMEBODY WHO HASN'T SPOKEN YET.
MY QUESTION IS, WHY AREN'T THERE TRANSITION WORKSHOPS? BECAUSE PARENTS ARE NOT VERY MUCH AWARE OF TRANSITION DETAILS FROM, UM, FIFTH GRADE ON OR OTHER SCHOOL LEVELS.
THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH TRANSITION WORKSHOPS AT SCHOOLS.
I'VE BEEN TO THESE WORKSHOPS AT DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN THAT PARTICULAR TOPIC ON TRANSITION BECAUSE
[01:00:01]
PARENTS ARE REQUESTING THIS FOR THEIR CHILDREN, HOW CAN, IN ORDER TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN.AS A SPECIFIC TOPIC REGARDING TRANSITION FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE'VE NOT YET DEVELOPED A WORKSHOP SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT TOPIC.
THE WAY WE ADDRESS THAT TOPIC IS AT THE IEP TEAM MEETING.
AT EVERY IEP TEAM MEETING WHEN A STUDENT'S GOING TO TRANSITION FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ALSO FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL, THERE IS A SPECIFIC TYPE OF MEETING THAT'S HELD AND TRANSITION IS DISCUSSED AT THAT IEP TEAM MEETING.
THERE WAS A TIME WHERE WE DID DO SOME OF THOSE, UH, TRANSITION TYPE MEETINGS.
AND I APPRECIATE THE SUGGESTION THAT'S SOMETHING WE, THAT WE CAN TAKE BACK TO SEE HOW WE CAN REFRESH THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES TO REALLY LOOK AT THOSE, UM, SPECIFIC TRANSITION TIMES FROM PRESCHOOL TO KINDERGARTEN, FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE, FROM MIDDLE TO HIGH SCHOOL.
SO WE CAN CERTAINLY TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN REFRESH AND BUILD.
SO, UM, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED, UM, CARLA, THAT, UM, HA - MA - HAVING WORKSHOPS LOCALLY AND I, I THINK ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS MAYBE, AND I THINK SOME, IT, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE HARD BECAUSE A LOT OF SCHOOL, UM, ARE CLOSED CAMPUS, BUT I FEEL LIKE, UM, MAYBE HAVING A SPECIFIC, UM, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, COMMUNITY SCHOOL, RIGHT? THERE'S SEVERAL SCHOOLS IN THAT COMPLEX, BUT ALSO OPENING THAT UP TO NEIGHBORING SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET MORE, MORE PEOPLE TO COME.
OR LET'S SAY, FOR INSTANCE, LET'S SAY, I'M GONNA PUT AN EXAMPLE, BURANDO KIDS CAN COME TO, YOU KNOW, UM, RFK COMMUNITY SCHOOL.
SO INVITE THOSE, YOU KNOW, BERANDO PARENTS OVER.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOKA IS ANOTHER SCHOOL THAT THEY CAN INVITE TO.
IT'S, IT'S FIND A COMMON SCHOOL WHERE SURROUNDING OTHER SCHOOL PARENTS CAN SHOW UP.
I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD BE A GREAT RECOMMENDATION BECAUSE IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO GET, UM, SOMEBODY TO COME OUT TO EVERY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL.
SO MAYBE JUST CHOOSING, UM, LIKE A BIG SCHOOL AND HAVING, HEY, COME OUT, YOU KNOW, UM, TO GET INFORMED OR COME TO THE PARENT, UM, WORKSHOP IS, IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT CAME UP, UM, WHEN YOU MENTIONED LET'S STAY LOCAL, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM.
UM, IT'S JUST BECAUSE PARENTS, YOU KNOW, UM, A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY IS VERY WALKING DISTANCE OR, YOU KNOW, TRAIN DISTANCE, YOU KNOW, SO I DON'T KNOW, THAT'S A RECOMMENDATION THAT I, I SUGGEST.
LOVE BUILDING ON OTHERS' IDEAS LIKE THAT.
WELL, UM, AND THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT MS. DUDAI COULD BE PARTNERED WITH WHAT SHE'S RECOMMENDING, WHERE SHE'S SAYING THREE SCHOOLS, RIGHT? YOU PILOTED THREE SCHOOLS, MAYBE ONE, THOSE SCHOOLS COULD BE THE, THE HUB OF INFORMATION, OF TRAINING CENTER, I DON'T KNOW, WHATEVER, BUT THAT'S, UM, THAT'S GREAT.
I'M SITTING HERE AND I'M LOOKING AT JOINING THE CAC COMMITTEE.
HOW IS IT THAT WE WOULD GET A LIST OF WHERE THE CAC COMMITTEES ARE ACTUALLY ESTABLISHED IF YOU'RE NOT UTILIZING ALL OF YOUR SCHOOLS? SO I WORK AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
HOW WOULD I BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY PARENTS AS TO HOW TO, UH, BE CONNECTED TO, MAYBE THEY WANNA BE A PART OF THE CAC COMMITTEE? DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF LOCATIONS OF WHERE THERE CURRENTLY ARE AND WHEN THE ELECTIONS ARE ACTUALLY IN PLACE, UH, WHEN YOU GUYS ARE SHARING THAT YOU CAN ATTEND A REGIONAL ELECTION TO LEARN MORE.
IT'S NOT GIVEN ENOUGH DETAILED INFORMATION ON THERE TO SHARE.
SO LIKE I WORK CLOSELY WITH MY APIS.
HOW IS IT THAT I COULD COLLABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH HER WHERE SHE MAY MISS SOME OF THIS INFORMATION TO WHERE WE CAN WORK TOGETHER? 'CAUSE YOU'RE SAYING IS THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF SPECIAL EDUCATION? AND WE AS PAR- PARAS, WE COMMUNICATE A LOT WITH, UM, OUR APIS.
WE MAY NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE PARENTS, BUT WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMMUNITY REPS THAT MAY BE TOO BUSY DOING SOMETHING ELSE AND THEY MAY MISS THIS PORTION.
'CAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE AT MY PARTICULAR SCHOOL AT BARRETT, THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT JOINING, UM, THE CAC COMMITTEE.
SO I JUST WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME INFORMATION ON THAT AS TO HOW I CAN COMMUNICATE THAT INFORMATION.
AND, UM, WE ARE DEFINITELY INCREASING OUR, UH, OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS TO INFORM OUR FAMILIES AND OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THE CAC ELECTIONS.
UH, WE RECENTLY CHANGED THE PROCESS FOR BECOMING A CAC MEMBER.
UH, AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THE CAC FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED, THEY WANTED US TO CONDUCT ELECTIONS.
AND SO WE ARE GONNA BE ENGAGING IN ELECTIONS DURING THE SPRING SEMESTER, PRIMARILY DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH.
THIS YEAR, WE INTEND TO HOST THAT INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE TO ALSO CONNECT WITH ALL OF OUR REGION SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP SO THAT THAT INFORMATION CAN BE SHARED LOCALLY WITH OUR SCHOOLS, CONNECTING
[01:05:01]
WITH OUR REGION FAMILY AND COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT PARTNERS TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THEIR COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES.UH, THE CAC IS MADE UP OF MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS, SO WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT OUR PARENTS WHO MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF THE CAC GET THIS INFORMATION.
UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVITE OUR CAC MEMBERS INTO ALL OF OUR DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, UH, WORKSHOPS, LIKE THE REGION AMBASSADOR.
AND WE HAVE PARENT VOICES INVITING OTHER PARENTS TO JOIN THE CAC.
SO THAT SEGMENT WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE PLACE THROUGHOUT THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, SO WE ARE ALSO WELCOMING DIFFERENT IDEAS ON, WELL, HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION? HOW, HELP US WITH DIFFERENT AVENUES BECAUSE WE ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO SHARE THIS WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE SERVING OUR FAMILIES IN DIFFERENT ROLES.
UH, I KNOW AS A FORMER RSP TEACHER HOW CLOSELY WE CONNECT WITH OUR FAMILIES.
AND SO I DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE SPREADING THE MESSAGE BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO RAISE THAT AWARENESS.
I WANNA ADD ON TO SOMETHING THAT MS. SANCHEZ SAID.
AND AS A, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, I AGREE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THERE BE THAT MEETING FROM ELEMENTARY, FIFTH GRADE TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, SIXTH GRADE, BECAUSE FOR MANY, IT'S A BRAVE NEW WORLD AND YOU HAVE TO BE EXPOSED TO THAT.
BUT NOT ONLY FOR SPECIAL ED, BUT GEN ED.
I MEAN, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO COME FROM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE MANY TIMES IT'S A SINGLE TEACHER, YOU KNOW, CLOSED AREA.
AND YOU'RE COMING TO, UM, A MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE THESE CHILDREN FEEL FREEDOM.
THEY'RE FREE AND THEY HAVE TO LEARN THAT SCHOOL IS SCHOOL AND HOW SCHOOLS WORK IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I, I'VE DONE IT FOR MANY YEARS AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR BOTH GEN ED AND SPECIAL ED.
SO I AGREE WITH YOU, MS. SANCHEZ.
ANY LAST, UH, COMMENTS? ANY...
UH, JUST AGAIN, NEXT SATURDAY FROM NINE TO ONE WILL BE OUR FAMILY RESOURCE FAIR, OUR LAST ONE FOR THE YEAR, AND MAYA ANGELOU REGION EAST.
THE CAC WILL BE THERE PROVIDING INFORMATION.
SO IF PARENTS WANNA LEARN ABOUT CAC, THAT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
BUT AGAIN, UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT HERE, THE SPED COMMITTEE ALSO SPREADS THE WORD AND SHARES THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PARENTS TO LEARN.
AND I ALWAYS SAY AT THOSE EVENTS THAT INFORMATION IS POWER, SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR FAMILIES TO HAVE THAT.
AND I DO WANNA ALSO PLUG THAT WE HAVE, UH, TWO WORKSHOPS FOR OUR PARENTS.
WE HAVE ONE ON INSTRUCTION, HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR STUDENT WITH INSTRUCTION AT HOME, ALSO HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR STUDENT WITH, UH, BEHAVIOR SUPPORT, POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT.
SO WE HAVE TWO SESSIONS OF EACH DURING THE RESOURCE FAIR, AND THEY'RE GREAT.
THEY'RE WELL ATTENDED BY OUR FAMILIES.
SO AGAIN, I INVITE YOU, IF YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING ON SATURDAY, I KNOW IT'S HALLOWEEN, BUT...
I'M SORRY, THE 7TH, I'M SORRY.
UM, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE STOP BY.
SO MR. SOTO, UH, THAT IS GREAT FOR NOVEMBER THE 7TH, HOWEVER, ARE THERE FLYERS THAT YOU CAN GIVE TO THE COMMUNITY REPS TO SHARE WITH THE PARENTS THAT WE CAN POST AT THE SCHOOLS? BECAUSE WE'RE SHARING INFORMATION WITHOUT KN- KNOWLEDGE AS FAR AS INFORMATION TANGIBLY THAT YOU CAN HAND OUT TO THE PARENTS.
YES, THERE ARE FLYERS AND THEY HAVE BEEN SHARED WITH OUR APIS STAFF, OUR REGION STAFF, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE SEND THEM AGAIN.
WE GOT ANOTHER WEEK OR SO, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE MORE OUTREACH AND MORE FAMILIES ATTEND.
AND THEN IN ADDITION, AS LILIA, UH, SHARED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, THERE WAS A QR CODE, AND WITHIN THAT QR CODE, THERE'S ALL OF THE FLYERS THAT WE'VE SHARED TODAY, INCLUDING THE RESOURCE FAIR.
SO IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT FLYER, BE AWARE OF THOSE DATES, SHARE THAT.
YOU'RE WELCOME TO ALSO GET IT IN THAT LOCATION, BUT WE'LL ALSO MAKE IT AVAILABLE.
SO HERE'S THE HOMEWORK FOR OUR COMMITTEE.
PLEASE SHARE THAT QR CODE WITH YOUR FOLKS AT SCHOOL TOMORROW.
TRY TO GET FIVE PEOPLE, FIVE PARENTS FROM YOUR SCHOOL TO GO.
IF YOU GET FIVE PEOPLE WHO SAY YES, YOU'LL GET TWO.
AND I WAS AT THE LA - THE ONE LAST YEAR AND IT'S GREAT.
I, I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.
WE'RE NOT WHERE EVERYBODY WANTS US TO BE JUST YET, BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY MAKING SOME STEPS TOWARD THAT.
SO MAYBE AT THE END, UM, OF OUR LAST MEETING THIS YEAR, MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME OF THE DATA ON THE PARTICIPATION
[01:10:01]
OF ALL OF THESE WORKSHOPS BY REGION, BY BOARD DISTRICT.THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FOR US.
SO, UM, ANY LAST WORDS BEFORE WE CLOSE? ALL RIGHT.
YOU GOT A LOT OF IDEAS HERE, SO, UM, AND THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE FOR SHARING ALL YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS.
OKAY, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO, UH, MR. MCLEAN.
WE HAVE 10 FOLKS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
I'LL CALL ON THE PEOPLE WHO LISTED THEMSELVES AS SPEAKING IN PERSON FIRST, AND THEN THOSE WHO ARE CALLING IN REMOTELY.
UH, THE FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. DAVID TOKOVSKI, UH, AND THEN AFTER MR. DAVID TOKOVSKI IS DIANA GUILLEN, AND THEN INGRID LEVY.
UH, DAVID, ARE YOU IN THE ROOM? MR. TOKOVSKI, ARE YOU ABOUT? ALL RIGHT.
YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN, AND THEN IT WILL BE MS. DIANA, UH, GUILLEN.
UH, I WAS REREADING, UH, SENATE BILL 1277, WHICH WAS INTRODUCED LAST YEAR TO FULLY FUND SPECIAL ED, SOMETHING THAT MR. SCHMOLSON HAS TALKED ABOUT, UH, REPEATEDLY.
THIS BILL CAME IN LAST YEAR WITH, UH, ALEX PADILLA AND ADAM SCHIFF AS CO-SPONSORS OF THE BILL, ALONG WITH 40 SENATORS.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS NOT AS BIPARTISAN AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN, BUT DON BACON, THE RETIRING REPUBLICAN FROM NEBRASKA WHO IS ON THE SHORT LIST TO RUN FOR THE MODERATE REPUBLICAN IN THE NEXT ELECTION, WAS A CO-SPONSOR IN THE HOUSE.
IT WAS SUPPORTED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS, WHICH MR. CHATE AND OTHERS ARE MEMBERS OF.
IT WAS SUPPORTED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICERS AND THE COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS.
IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS OR ONE WEEK, WE WILL HAVE A HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 90% SURE THAT WILL BE DEMOCRAT IN ITS MAJORITY, AND 60% SURE THAT WE WILL BREAK 50 US SENATORS.
THIS WILL BE A MOMENT IN HISTORY, PARTICULARLY IN SPECIAL ED, IN WHICH TO MOVE A BIPARTISAN EFFORT, NO DOUBT, HIGH PROBABILITY THAT THIS, THAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD VETO IT, BUT THAT'S ALSO WHAT YOU WANT, BECAUSE IF THE PRESIDENT VETOES A BIPARTISAN BILL ON SPECIAL ED, THAT WILL CREATE THE LEVERAGE POLITICALLY OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF TOWARDS THE PRESIDENCY.
MOST REPUBLICAN MODERATES WILL SUPPORT THAT BILL AND YOU WILL SEE CHANGE.
THIS DISTRICT NEEDS TO STEP UP WITH THE COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO PURSUE AND LOBBY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
IT'S A 10-YEAR, JUST TO BE CLEAR, A 10-YEAR FULL FUNDING, BUT IT'S A BIT BY BIT OVER THE 10 YEARS, AND TO, IF POSSIBLE, THROUGH GENERAL COUNSEL AND THE SUPERINTENDENT TO RETAIN SPECIAL LOBBY IN WASHINGTON, DC.
YOU HAVEN'T PAID YOUR COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS DUES, WHICH ARE ONLY $70,000, BUT YOU SHOULD BE TALKING TO THEM WITH THOSE DUES TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS THE AGENDA OF THE MOMENT TO NOT WRITE A LETTER, TO NOT PURSUE IT, IS NEGLIGENCE.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS DIANA GUILLEN.
MS.GUILLEN'S GONNA SPEAK IN SPANISH, SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT SHE'S SAYING IN ENGLISH, PLEASE PUT ON THE TRANSLATION HEADSETS THAT ARE BEING PASSED OUT.
AFTER MS. GUILLEN, IT'S INGRID LEVY, AND THEN MARIA MONTOYA.
I'M A MEMBER OF CAC, THE CAC COMMITTEE AS WELL.
IN OUR LAST MEETING, I ASKED OUR CHAIRPERSON TO BRING THE DATA OF THE BUDGET.
UM, TILL NOW, THEY HAVEN'T BROUGHT IT.
AND I WANT TO ASK YOU ALL AND MR. SOTO TO PROVIDE THEM, BECAUSE THE ANSWER OF THE CHAIRPERSON IS THAT THEY HAD BEEN ASKING THEM IN THE AGENDAS AND TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
I ALSO LIKE THAT MIROCIO IS ASKING THE DATA BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW MANY PARENTS PARTICIPATE.
I HAVE SEEN SOME OF THESE SESSIONS WHERE SEVEN PEOPLE ATTEND.
SO IF SEVEN, EIGHT PARENTS, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GOOD USE OF RESOURCES.
THE DISTRICT HAS LIMITED RESOURCES, RIGHT? AND THEY'RE PAYING A LOT OF PEOPLE.
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ONLY A COUPLE PARENTS SHOW UP? SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS DATA.
ANOTHER THING TOO ABOUT PARENT PARTICIPATION IN THE IEPS, UH, THE ONES THAT WE'RE SPEAKING.
I KNOW A LOT OF SCHOOLS AND ADMINISTRATORS THAT SAY PARENTS DON'T SHOW UP TO THE IEPS, THAT THEY DON'T CARE.
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'VE BEEN TRULY EXPLAINED
[01:15:01]
WHAT THEY MEAN, BECAUSE I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I HAD AN IEP, I WASN'T EXPLAINED.I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING, WHAT THIS DOCUMENT WAS, WHAT COULD BE DERIVED FROM IT, WHAT THE BENEFITS WERE OF MY INVOLVEMENT.
SO I THINK IT'S A DENSE AND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND DOCUMENT, ESPECIALLY FOR A PARENT THAT IS DOING, GOING THROUGH THIS THE FIRST TIME.
AND THIS, IF YOU'RE GONNA EX - TALK ABOUT VERY ACADEMICALLY DIFFICULT THINGS, I THINK IT'S TOUGH ON PARENTS.
AND OH, IT, IT'S, YOU'RE THE PROFESSIONALS AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR MY KIDS.
AND IT D - IT, IT REALLY DOESN'T, IT ISN'T ABOUT THAT.
IT'S ABOUT PARENT INCLUSION AND FOR THEM TO HAVE THE POWER TO SAY, OKAY, I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY CHILD, BUT YOU ARE NOT GIVING THAT PARENT AN EXPLANATION TO PARENTS IN A WAY THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE.
SO I WOULD LIKE THAT TO BE CONSIDERED BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A CONNECTION LIKE THAT WITH PARENTS.
YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, I WAS REALLY PROUD TO SEE MY FELLOW, UM, PARENTS SPEAKING TODAY ON BEHALF OF THE CAC AS A FORMER CAC CHAIR.
IT MAKES ME REALLY PROUD TO SEE A LOT OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS BEING HEARD AND ACTED UPON.
UM, IT, IT GIVES, UM, HOPE TO PARENTS LIKE ME WHO SPEND ALL OF THEIR TIME TREATING ADVOCACY LIKE A FULL-TIME JOB.
AND I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME THINGS THAT CAME UP, UM, IN THE PRESENTATIONS FROM BOTH, UM, LILIA AND CHRISTIE.
UM, I THINK A LOT OF PROBLEMS WOULD BE SOLVED WITH VERY SMALL ACTS, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE FACT THAT THERE'S THE PARENT COUNSELING TRAINING, UM, SCHEDULE, UH, SUBJECTS, EVERYTHING, THE IEP AND U GUIDE, THE CAC FLYER.
UM, WE USUALLY GET HANDED THOSE THINGS AT THE END OF OUR IEP, WHICH IS USUALLY AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, ADMITTEDLY, MY, UH, 11TH GRADER, I'VE BEEN GOING TO IEP SINCE HE WAS THREE.
UM, I GET THE IEP AND U IN SOME VERSION EVER SINCE THEN.
I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE SEES IT OR IF THEY DO, THEY DON'T KNOW HOW IT APPLIES TO THEM.
SO, UM, MY THOUGH BECAUSE THE CAC HAS SPENT SO MUCH TIME WORKING ON FLYERS, EDUCATION, UM, ONE SHEETS, WEBSITES, CONTENT, LIKE, PARENTS SHOULD GET THAT AT THE START OF EVERY SCHOOL YEAR.
ALONG WITH THE IEP AND U DOCUMENT, I AM, I THINK IT'S BECOME PRACTICE TO JUST HAND IT OUT WITH THE PRINT OF THE IEP, BUT THEN IT'S TOO LATE.
SO THE, AND THAT COULD JUST START, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S IN THE PERSON'S LANGUAGE.
UM, IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS, THEY AT LEAST CAN READ THE JARGON IN THEIR LANGUAGE AND MAKE NOTES.
UM,
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE SUGGESTION...
OH MY GOSH, I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
I ALSO THINK THE SURVEY SHOULD BE DONE, UM, TO GET REAL PARENT FEEDBACK FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE, MUCH LIKE WE DO THE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE SURVEY, BUT IT'S FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND THE REGION LEVEL MEETINGS, I THINK, WOULD BE VITAL AS WELL.
LOCAL MEETINGS, SCHOOL SITE, EVERYTHING, UM, IN FULL SUPPORT OF.
ALL RIGHT, MARIA MONTOYA, ARE YOU OUT THERE? COME ON UP.
MARIA MONTOYA, I THINK YOU JUST SIGNED UP.
MARIA MONTOYA, ARE YOU HERE? THERE YOU ARE.
WELL, I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS AND A LOT OF CON - UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WAS ADDRESSED TODAY, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE AMBASSADORS.
AS A MOTHER THAT'S RETURNING AFTER A FEW YEARS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT MY SON'S SCHOOL DOES NOT WORK AS YOU MENTIONED HERE.
AND ALSO, IS IT THAT MY SON HAS TOO LITTLE TIME IN THAT SCHOOL? HE'S IN HIGH SCHOOL NOW, BUT I THINK THAT IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR A STUDENT TO, IS SEATED UNDER A TABLE ON THE FLOOR WITH AN IPAD IN HAND FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE, UH, SCHOOL DAY.
I HAD AN IEP FOR MY SON ON MONDAY, AND I ASKED THAT QUESTION TO THE TEACHER, "WHAT DID HE SAY?" HE SAID, "OH, IT'S BECAUSE THE STUDENT DOES NOT WANT TO GET OUT, UH, FROM UNDER THE TABLE.
I CAN'T TAKE HIM OUT." AND SO I THINK THAT IF YOU TAKE THE IPAD AWAY, YES, LITTLE BY LITTLE, HE'LL, YOU KNOW, LEAVE FROM UNDER THE TABLE.
I DON'T TAKE IT AWAY BECAUSE HE GETS UPSET, HE SAID.
HE GETS UPSET AND HE DOESN'T WANT TO.
I THINK THAT THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS HAVE THE
[01:20:01]
TRAINING TO WORK WITH OUR STUDENTS.AND SO I TRULY W - I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE EDUCATION OF MY SON AND COMING BACK TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
I ASK FOR SUPPORT OF ONE OF YOU SINCE ALL OF YOU AND THE COMMITTEE ARE ENGAGED IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I THINK THAT SOMETIMES YOU GIVE THE FUNDS OR THE SUPPORT SO THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE INDEPENDENT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, NOT ALL SCHOOLS DO THEIR JOB.
SO I WOULD LIKE, I WOULD BE THANKFUL IF YOU CAN GIVE ME YOUR SUPPORT TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE OR TO CLEAR UP MY, UH - ALL RIGHT NOW WE WILL TRANSITION TO THOSE WHO ARE SPEAKING REMOTELY.
PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
GOOD AFTERNOON, UM, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
LOOKS LIKE YOU JUST MUTED YOURSELF.
HI, GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.
UM, I WANTED TO BRING UP TO YOUR ATTENTION, UM, ALL OF THESE STRATEGIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GREAT, BUT I WONDER IF THE DISTRICT HAS SET A STANDARD.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DISTRICT HAS A VISION AND MISSION, BUT WHAT ABOUT A STANDARD OF SERVICE FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS WITH DISABILITIES? SOMETHING THAT I HAVE LEARNED OVER MY ALMOST, UH, 12 YEARS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AS A PARENT, I HAVE NOTICED FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT I MEET THAT THERE ARE, THEIR EXPERIENCES ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM MINE BASED ON OUR LOCATION.
SO OUR ZIP CODE SHOULDN'T DICTATE WHAT SERVICES AND HOW WE'RE TREATED VERSUS HOW THE, WHAT THE DISTRICT'S EXPECTATION OF SERVICES IS.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE SHOULD BE ANALYZED AND ALSO PRESENTED BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN INFORMATION FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, FROM THE DISTRICT ITSELF.
A FEW YEARS BACK, THERE WAS A PRESENTATION FROM THE CAC WHERE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION SERVICES CAME INTO PRESENT AND THE ACCESS OF SERVICES THAT STUDENTS IN MORE AFFLUENT AREAS HAD WAS HIGHER THAN THOSE IN LO- LOWER INCOME AREAS.
SO I WOULD URGE YOU TO LOOK AT THAT BECAUSE I DISAGREE THAT THERE ISN'T PARENT ENGAGEMENT.
MOST PARENTS THAT I KNOW ARE VERY ENGAGED, BUT BECAUSE THERE ISN'T A STANDARD OF, "OH, WE'RE GOING TO TREAT YOU WITH DIGNITY DEPENDING REGARDLESS OF YOUR RACE OR YOUR INCOME," THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE DISTRICT SHOULD REALLY LOOK INTO BECAUSE NO STUDENT SHOULD BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY BASED ON THEIR ZIP CODE.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS MIHO MURAI.
MIHO, PLEASE PRESS * SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
MY NAME IS MIHO MURAI, AND I'M A PROUD PARENT OF A 3E LEARNER.
THANK YOU FOR HOLDING TODAY'S MEETING.
AT THE LAST MEETING, I ASKED THIS COMMITTEE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT SPECIFIC PROGRAMS, STAFF, AND SERVICES WILL BE REDUCED OR CUT DUE TO THE CURRENT BUDGET DEFICITS.
I'VE ALREADY SEEN A LOT OF CUTS MADE TO THE WINTER ACADEMY PROGRAM WHEREBY SCHOOLS THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY HOSTED WINTER ACADEMY PROGRAM ARE NO LONGER HOSTING THESE PROGRAMS, MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR PARENTS TO SEND THEIR SCHOOL, CHILDREN TO THESE PROGRAMS IF THEY DO NOT HAVE TRANSPORTATION.
ANOTHER CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS THAT GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ARE NOT IMPLEMENTING THE CLASSROOM ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE IN A STUDENT'S IEP.
SINCE THESE TEACHERS ARE USUALLY NOT INVOLVED IN CREATING THE ACCOMMODATIONS SINCE THE IEP TEAM MEETINGS WERE USUALLY HELD IN THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR IN MAY OR JUNE, THE CURRENT TEACHERS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO IMPLEMENT THESE ACCOMMODATIONS, NOR DO THEY UNDERSTAND WHY THEY EXIST.
I'VE HAD PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WHERE THE TEACHERS SIMPLY REFUSE TO IMPLEMENT THEM BECAUSE THEY DO NOT SEE THE NEED FOR THEM.
WHILE IT IS GREAT THAT THE DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION OFFERED THE PARENT WORKSHOPS THAT MS. MORAN DESCRIBED, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MANY PARENTS ACTUALLY ATTEND THESE WORKSHOPS.
I'VE HAD A HARD TIME TRYING TO FIND THESE DIFFERENT WORKSHOPS ON THEIR WEBSITE AND I DON'T SEE THEM POSTED AT MY CHILD'S SCHOOL.
I THINK AT EACH PARENT CENTER, THERE SHOULD BE A SPECIFIC AREA WHERE THESE FLYERS ARE POSTED AS WELL AS RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO PARENTS.
ALSO, HAVING IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT AS IT ALLOWS OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS TO CONNECT.
I'M HOPING THAT THE DSE WILL HOST SPECIAL EDUCATION REGIONAL FAIRS AGAIN IN THE SPRING SINCE I THINK THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO SHARE INFORMATION AND BUILD COMMUNITY.
MS. LACY BROUGHT UP MANY GREAT SOLUTIONS TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS.
I'M REALLY HOPING THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS OF THIS
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COMMITTEE WILL TAKE HER AND CAC'S SUGGESTIONS AND CREATE A RESOLUTION FOR BOARD ADOPTION THIS SCHOOL YEAR, CREATING SPECIAL EDUCATION AFFINITY GROUPS AT EACH SCHOOL WOULD NOT ONLY HELP MORE PARENTS TO BECOME MORE INFORMED ABOUT THE IP PROCESS, BUT IT WOULD ALSO ASSIST FAMILIES AND STUDENTS WITH IPCS TO FEEL MORE INCLUDED AT THEIR SCHOOL SITES.FINALLY, THERE SHOULD BE MORE PARENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS COMMITTEE.
THERE USED TO BE PARENTS FROM EACH REGION.
FROM WHAT I SEE, THERE ARE ONLY TWO PARENT REPRESENTATIVES TODAY.
UH, THE NEXT SPEAKER IS MARIA DAISY ORTIZ.YOU'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY, BUT, UH, YOU'RE NOT ONLINE.
ARE YOU IN THE ROOM, RAYA DAISY-ORTIZ? I DO NOT SEE YOU.
UM, KARINA LOPEZ, ARE YOU IN THE ROOM? YOU SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY, BUT YOU'RE NOT ONLINE.
UH, SHIRLEY GRUBER, YOU ARE ONLINE.
PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
ON TODAY, I WANT TO MAKE TWO COMMENTS.
ONE, IT IS FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THE DIVISION HAS DONE FOR THE FAIRS, AND I WENT, AND FOR SECOND TIME I WENT, AND THE, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE RECRUIT RESOURCES THAT YOU MADE THE EFFORT TO, UH, GATHER IN THIS FAIR AND TO HAVE MORE OUTREACH TO FAMILIES I WANT TO RECOGNIZE AT WORK.
I KNOW IT TAKES TIME, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO BE DOING OTHER THINGS, BUT IT TAKES TIME.
BUT LITTLE BY LITTLE, WE ARE SEEING HOW WE'RE BEING LISTENED AND OUR, OUR CONCERNS FOR OUR PARENTS.
SO I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WORK.
AT THE SAME TIME, I WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT IN, ABOUT THE STABILIZATION PLAN THAT THE LEOD OFFICERS HAVE PRESENTED.
AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU ARE, UH, SPENDING MORE THAN THE BUDGET.
AND WHAT I WANT TO ASK FOR THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, SPECIAL EDUCATION, HOW IS IT THAT THIS PLAN, IN SOME WAY, ARE YOU STABILIZING AND WHAT WILL IT HAVE THE IMPACT AND THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THOSE SCHOOLS THAT WILL CLOSE? THERE ARE PROGRAMS THAT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER.
I ASK AND I WOULD LIKE FOR THIS PRESENTATION TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE NEXT FEW MEETINGS.
WE AS PARENTS NEED TO HAVE THE, UM, BE, KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THE SERVICES, UH, ACCESS AND EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
NEXT CALLER IS LISA MOSCOW-BARROS.
LISA, PLEASE PRESS * SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
MY NAME IS LISA MOSCOW-BARROS.
I'M THE PROUD PARENT OF TWO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, AND I'M ALSO THE FOUNDERS OF EDUCATIONAL, A PARENT-LED NONPROFIT THAT LIFTS UP STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES THROUGH PARENT VOICE.
I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF OUR PARENT LEADERS WHO COULD NOT BE HERE AT THIS TIME BECAUSE THE TIMING OF THIS MEETING, UNFORTUNATELY, FALLS DURING SCHOOL PICKUP.
OUR PARENT LEADERS DESIGNED AND DISTRIBUTED A COMMUNITY-CENTERED SURVEY AND HEARD FROM 342 FAMILIES ACROSS NEARLY 40 LOS ANGELES COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, INCLUDING 155 LAUSD PARENTS.
NEARLY HALF OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES DO NOT CONSISTENTLY FEEL SAFE AND SUPPORTED AT SCHOOL.
30% OF FAMILIES WAITED OVER A YEAR FOR THEIR CHILD'S DISABILITY TO BE RECOGNIZED.
68% OF PARENTS SAY ADVOCACY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION, AND 39% HAVE EXPERIENCED EMPLOYMENT DISRUPTIONS AS A RESULT OF THEIR ADVOCACY.
WE ARE PAYING FOR ALL OF THIS WITH OUR HEALTH, OUR JOBS, OUR TIME, AND IT'S A COST THAT APPEARS IN NO BUDGET.
MANY OF YOU LIKELY UNDERSTAND THIS THROUGH YOUR OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE, AND AS A FORMER CAC CHAIR, I AM HOPEFUL BY THE CAC'S CURRENT PROPOSAL FOR SCHOOL SITE AFFINITY GROUPS.
BUT I ASKED YOU TO LOOK AT OUR SURVEY.
IT WAS DESIGNED BY PARENTS TO UNCOVER THE WHY BEHIND OUR STUDENT STRUGGLES.
SOTO VIA EMAIL THAT THIS REPORT WILL INFORM THE DISTRICT'S WAY FOR- FORWARD, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING WITH DISTRICT LEADERSHIP, AND WE WELCOME THE CHANCE TO SHARE THE FULL FINDINGS OF OUR REPORT WITH YOU.
AND LASTLY, TWO REQUESTS, TWO LOGISTICAL REQUESTS.
MOVE THE MEETING TIME TO A TIME WHEN FAMILIES CAN ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC COMMENTS, AND IN THE SPIRIT OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, OFFER THE PRESENTATION SLIDES IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH.
THANK YOU, AND I'LL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH REQUESTS FOR MEETINGS.
THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT.
I WANNA APPRECIATE OUR MEMBERS.
I WANNA APPRECIATE THE PUBLIC WHO COMES AND PROVIDES IDEAS AS WELL, GIVES US SOME FEEDBACK.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING OUR STAFF HERE TO RESPOND TO ANY CONCERNS THAT COME UP DURING OUR MEETING.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL
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COMMITTEE, UH, BECAUSE THE PARENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMMITTEE, THIS IS VERY, VERY DEEPLY PERSONAL, AS WELL AS THE EDUCATORS.SO I WANNA APPRECIATE EVERYONE WHO COMES AND, UH, PROVIDES ALL YOUR IDEAS.
I'VE WRITTEN ALL THE IDEAS DOWN SO THAT WE COULD, UH, DO SOMETHING WITH ALL OF THIS, UH, FEEDBACK.
UH, AGAIN, HOPEFULLY IN THE SPRING, WE CAN, UH, COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WILL INCORPORATE EVERYONE'S IDEAS.
HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENING, AND I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN ON DECEMBER 2ND WILL BE OUR NEXT MEETING.