SSEAC March 2021 VM Minutes - Virginia



STATE SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SSEAC)to the Virginia Board of Education (BOE)Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)SSEAC Virtual Meeting MinutesMarch 10, 2021Wednesday, March 10, 2021Committee Members: Dr. Dani BronaughMrs. Meredith BarberMs. Jill Sowers, Vice-Chair Ms. Kendra BelcherMs. Suzanne Bowers, Ex-officio Dr. Jeffrey CassellMs. Anne Downing (absent)Ms. DaleAnna Curry Mr. Michael Garrison, Member-at-LargeMr. Justin Gatling Ms. Clare Huerta, Ex-officio Mrs. Christine Germeyer, Chair Ms. Margarete Hecker Jeffer, Secretary Mx. Aaran Kelley (she, her) Mr. Matthew Luther, Member-at-Large Ms. Tashue Mason (absent)Dr. Patricia Popp (absent)Mr. Robert Schwartz (absent)Ms. Regan Stiltner (absent)Mr. Brian Summo, Member-at-Large Ms. Joan SummerMs. Sandi ThorpeMr. Mychael WillonVDOE Representatives:Mr. Henry J. "Hank" Millward, Jr., SEFFE, SESSMrs. Lisa Crafton (Recorder), SEFFE, SESSMrs. Tracy Coleman, FAB, SESSMs. Ella Barnes, FAB, SESSMr. Jeffrey Phenicie, SEPI, SESSCall to OrderMrs. Germeyer welcomed everyone in attendance and called the meeting to order at 8 a.m. She noted that this is the final meeting of the administrative year, gave a short overview of last year, and encouraged members to continue to make a difference. She continued to state the purpose and function of this SSEAC. Mrs. Germeyer asked committee members to introduce themselves and introduced the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) members.Business SessionApproval of AgendaThe agenda was distributed via email. The committee was asked to review the proposed agenda. Mr. Willon made the motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Garrison seconded the motion. The agenda was approved unanimously. Approval of the Minutes December 2020, minutes were posted on the VDOE website, and members were encouraged to submit any changes before the meeting. Mr. Willon made the motion to approve the minutes. Dr. Bronaugh seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously. Report on Follow-up to Public Comment from Previous MeetingsHank Millward, Director, Office of Facilities and Family Engagement (SEFFE), Department of Special Education and Student Services (SESS), Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)The first public comment was about “Return to Learn” or “In-Person Learning”. The Governor discussed this comment in his recent address. Gov. Northam is promoting that all children should be back in school. As the VDOE representative, Mr. Millward, also addressed the first public comment. The second public comment was about the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP). The VDOE is going to release a new version of the VAAP. The Annual Plans ApplicationsTracie Coleman, Director, Office of Special Education Finance and Budget (FAB), SESS, VDOEMrs. Coleman gave a presentation on Special Education Finance and Budget. The presentation and review of the State Operated Programs (SOP) annual plan applications are available on the VDOE website. Question: Is the dollar amount for each location determined by a formula?Please refer to summary of her presentation at the end of this report.Other Business: The General Assembly (GA) and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) Report:The issues that were addressed in the JLARC report are being addressed in the General Assembly. The SSEAC does not play a significant role in this report since the issues have already been addressed at the General Assembly. However, it is up to the committee to capture some of the findings within its annual report. A Fact Sheet to address the Parent Ombudsman has been developed and is available on the VDOE website. An Ombudsman is a person who serves as a designated neutral party who advocates for a fair process and provides confidential, informal assistance and support to parents, guardians, advocates, educators, and students with disabilities. The Parent Ombudsman for Special Education serves as a resource to parents in non-legal special education matters.Superintendent Memos: Extracurricular activities for students with disabilities #018-21New VAAP #033-21Funding own teachers #037-21Micro-credentials #038-21Locally awarded verified credits #041-21JLARC report:Many of the bills improve oversites and transition services. The response of the General Assembly was very positive. Private School and Comprehensive Services Act?(CSA) funding were appropriate.The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) has added a page on their newsletter highlighting the importance of the Superintendent Memos. Information: Information overload for many parents and the need to make it user-friendly. Discussion about the information on the VDOE website. PEATC noted that their newsletter should be available to all the local SEACs. In some school divisions, someone is responsible for communicating the information coming from the VDOE. Oftentimes, that information is not disseminated to the parents. Some of the information has educational language, and not every parent understands English. Hank pointed out that the VDOE has a listserv for anyone wanting to receive updates. Secondly, he stated, the VDOE’s Ombudsman will help the parent understand the recommendation and help get the parents' information. The Center for Family Involvement at VCU is another resource. Jeffrey Phenicie, Director, Office of Special Education Program Improvement (SEPI), SESS, VDOE; Jeff.Phenicie@doe.Discussion: FFY2019 Part B State Systemic Improvement Plan (Submission Date: April 1, 2021) SSIP Discussion FFY 2021:Refer to the PowerPoint presentationIndicator 17, also known as State Systemic Improvement PlanFocus: State Identified Measurable Results (SIMR)Theory of Action Steps: SEALEATeacherStudentThree areas of improvement: Academics, Discipline, and AttendanceTraining and Technical Assistance Centers (TTAC) is providing advanced training to support the SIMR. State Systemic Improvement plans indicates that 74.7 percent of students with disabilities is graduating with a standard diploma. Locally awarded verified credits will make the growth even bigger. Changes to the 2020-2025 Part B SPP/APRMajor Changes include:Graduation dropoutStatewide AssessmentPreschool LREState Systemic Improvement PlanLast year, SOL data were not available due to the pandemic. A new indicator will allow seeing the gap between general education students and special education students. Jeff is asking to be on the agenda for all future meetings. At a minimum, he can give an update on the data.Constituency Reports (Refer to the PowerPoint)Business Meeting Christine Germeyer, Committee Chair and Jill Sowers, SSEAC Committee Vice-ChairReview previous meeting public comment reports and identify issues that subcommittee might need to address.Report on the Annual Report to the Board of Education. The committee worked on the annual report and made changes to it. Discussion about the updated local SEAC chair contact information and getting updated information into the spreadsheet.Briefing/recommendations based on subcommittee work.Annual Report Discussion.Justin Gatling. Nominating Chair, Election of new SSEAC Officers:Nominating committee slate of officersMr. Justin Gatling, Nominating Committee Chair, presented the slate of officers, which included:For the Chair, the nominees are Brian Summo, Mike Garrison, and Mychael Willon. Mr. Garrison removed himself as a nominee for chair. Member voted via the Chat feature: Brian Summo voted as the Chair. For the Vice-Chair, the nominees are Mike Garrison, Margarete Jeffer, Kendra Belcher, and Mychael Willon. Members voted via the chat feature: Margarete Jeffer voted as the Vice-Chair.For the Secretary, the nominee is Margarete Jeffer. Margarete declined the nomination as secretary. Since there were no other nominees, the committee tabled the discussion for the next day. For the three Members-at-Large positions, the nominees are Dr. Jeffrey Cassell, Kendra Belcher, Mike Garrison, Dr. Dani Bronaugh, Meredith Barber, Sandi Thorpe, and Mychael Willon. Members voted via the Chat feature: Kendra Belcher, Mike Garrison, and Mychael Willon voted as the three Members-at-Large. Mrs. Germeyer asked for a motion to approve the slate of officers: Brian Summo, ChairMargarete Jeffer, Vice-ChairKendra Belcher, Mike Garrison, Mychael Willon, and Christine Germeyer, Members-at-Large.Mr. Summo made the motion to approve the slate of officers. Ms. Sowers seconded the motion. The committee decided to nominate and vote in the Secretary on Thursday. There was no further discussion: The nominees were approved unanimously.Mrs. Germeyer called the meeting adjourned at 12:30 p.m.Thursday, March 11, 2021Committee Members: Dr. Dani Bronaugh??Mrs. Meredith Barber??Ms. Jill Sowers, Vice-Chair ?Ms. Kendra Belcher??Ms. Suzanne Bowers, Ex-officio?Dr. Jeffrey Cassell??Ms. DaleAnna Curry?Ms. Anne Downing (absent)??Mr. Michael Garrison, Member-at-Large??Mr. Justin Gatling (absent)??Ms. Clare Huerta, Ex-officio?Mrs. Christine Germeyer, Chair?Ms. Margarete Hecker Jeffer, Secretary?Mx. Aaran Kelley (she, her) Mr. Matthew Luther, Member-at-Large?Ms. Tashue Mason (absent)??Dr. Patricia Popp ?Mr. Robert Schwartz (absent)Ms. Regan Stiltner (absent)Mr. Brian Summo, Member-at-Large?Ms. Joan Summer??Ms. Sandi Thorpe (absent) - joined after the initial roll call.Mr. Mychael WillonVDOE Representatives:Mr. Henry J. “Hank” Millward, Jr., SEFFE, SESSMrs. Lisa Crafton (Recorder), SEFFE, SESSDr. Samantha Hollins, Assistant Superintendent, SESS Invited Presenters:Dr. Terri Vandercook, University of Minnesota/TIES CenterDr. Gail Ghere, University of Minnesota/TIES CenterDr. Jessica Bowman, University of Minnesota/TIES CenterCall to OrderMrs. Germeyer welcomed everyone in attendance and called the meeting to order at 8 a.m. She thanked the committee for attending and greeted those who may be watching. She stated the focus of the committee and stated that this is the final meeting of the administrative year.Approval of AgendaThe agenda was distributed via email. The committee was asked to review the proposed agenda. Mr. Willon made the motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Garrison seconded the motion. The agenda was approved unanimously.New ItemsMrs. Germeyer stated a new slate of officers for the following year. The committee still needs a secretary for the next term. She asked for nominations from the floor. Ms. Popp stated that she would be willing to serve as Secretary. Mr. Willon made the motion for Ms. Popp to serve. Mr. Luther seconded the motion. The nomination was approved unanimously. Mr. Garrison was asked to set reminders of breaks every 45 minutes. Calls to serve on SSEAC for parent representatives in regions 3, 7, 8, and agency representatives for DARS and DJJ will be out shortly once the notice comes from the Board. Mrs. Germeyer believes the candidates' names in these two areas have been put forward. The term will begin in July for a three-year term with the option of a second three-year term.Will the meetings continue to stream live and will there be an option for attending via Zoom, if we return to in-person meetings? Mr. Millward will have a conversation with Dr. Hollins and others on how things will proceed in the future when/if meetings return to in-person.Reading of Public CommentHank Millward, Director, Office of Facilities and Family Engagement (SEFFE), Department of Special Education and Student Services (SESS), Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)Three public comments – these have been addressed as they are outside of the timeline.Alexandria SEAC individual - Request for SPED teachers to get high priority to obtain vaccine so students can return to school. VAAP Waiver Unhappy with committee’s response to VAAP waiver stating that the committee discussion will hinder minorities with disabilities from obtaining a High School Diploma. WARE organization dedicated to gender equality and women's rights The VDOE lack of women and women’s history in courses. Petition over 30,000 signatures in Fairfax County to have more information about women in history added into the curriculum. Would like to either speak or submit public comment to the VDOE.Process that bears no resemblance to their local group. Due to COVID-19, this Parent had the opportunity to participate in virtual training sessions and participate via livestreaming in the SSEAC meetings. They were asking to have an updated local SEAC list and meeting times.There is a need to look through a different lens that will benefit students as they learn virtually. Making way for more families to be able to take advantage of meetings.These are the public comments received as of 8:26 a.m. March 11, 2021.Department of Special Education and Student Services (SESS), Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) UpdatesDr. Samantha Hollins, Assistant Superintendent, SESS, VDOEDr. Hollins greeted everyone and recognized the challenges of the past year.Hot topicsWhat has progressed in the General Assembly this year?By March 31 Governor will sign, veto bills that have been presented in the General Assembly.Dr. Hollins presented a PowerPoint that will be shared with the committee after the meeting.The VDOE has been working with USDOE for clarification and direction. JLARC – the investigative arm of the General AssemblyThe VDOE studiesAgency studyStudy of CSA and private SPED schoolsK-12 SPED in VirginiaVBOE has a meeting next week, and SSEAC members were encouraged, if possible, to listen in on the meeting. Highlighted the JLARC Areas of FocusDetermining eligibilityIEP development and implementation for post-secondary transition Applied Studies Diploma Inclusion of student with disabilitiesRecruiting and retention of qualified sped teachersState supervision and monitoring of Virginia SPED systemAsked for questions/recommendations from SSEAC membersMr. Garrison – asked about mental health needs for teachers with all they have experienced over the last year. Dr. Hollins thanked Mike for his work on the VAAP and then stated that the State had been working on SEL before last March. Dr. Hollins reminded the committee about the CARES Act funding resource. Some schools used funding to hire more mental health officials, extra school counselors, and social workers to address this issue. Also, American Rescue Act was passed this morning that has more money coming to local school divisions. Important for members to discuss with local SEACs. How are we thinking about this through an MTSS lens, resources for trauma-informed care, increasing staffing of mental health providers in schools, supporting PD for staff around students, and how to support staff to identify mental health issues in themselves and colleagues? Making sure they are seeking funding to support local communities. Guidance will come out soon. Mr. Willon asked how virtual work would help moving forward. Dr. Hollins stated that we need to be mindful of the lack of broadband across the State. Virtual education will continue to have a place; there will be virtual learning days. What about snow days? We are learning from the experience and thinking about how to have access for all students. StatementsMs. Curry, as a teacher, was excited to hear about the curriculum for Applied Studies and how it is going down to the elementary level. Dr. Hollins stated that she wanted to bring more info back to SSEAC when things are developed.Mr. Luther thanked Dr. Hollins and the Department for work on transition and training that has been made available for families. Dr. Hollins addressed the increase of parent involvement through virtual platforms that are available on demand. This has been seen not just for parents and families but also for students in “I'm Determined.” Dr. Hollins mentioned the passing of the former DARS commissioner, James Rothrock, who served 16 years under four governors. Mrs. Germeyer asked for guidance on where SSEAC should place focus. Dr. Hollins stated she would have more information at the next meeting. The SSEACs role should look at what the State has done and looking at the remaining things that local school divisions should be doing (i.e., support and resources for students with ID, support for transition post-secondary, preparing general education teachers to come to the table in IEPs).Recognition of Outgoing SSEAC Members by Dr. Hollins – these members will be leaving the committee June 30, 2021. Matt Luther – served six years as a DARS rep (he stated absolute pleasure to work with such dedicated individuals, will try to stay involved in any way possible in his role)Tashue Mason – served six years a parent representative in region 8Regan Stiltner – served three years as a parent representative in region 7Joan Sumner – served six years as a parent representative in region 3 (stated it has been an honor to serve, gained a new perspective on SPED, speaker and staff at the VDOE have given her a new perspective on what happens behind the scene at the State)Jill Sowers – served for six years (She stated that it had been a pleasure and privilege to serve. She recognized the common goal that has allowed her to grow personally and professionally). Dr. Hollins recognized her advocacy for those students served in other areas.TIES Center: Supporting Inclusive School Communities where All Means AllDr. Terri Vandercook, University of Minnesota/TIES CenterDr. Gail Ghere, University of Minnesota/TIES CenterDr. Jessica Bowman, University of Minnesota/TIES CenterTIES - Increasing?(T)time,?(I)instructional?Effectiveness,?(E)engagement, and?State and District (S)support?for Inclusive Practices.TIES Center is the national technical assistance center on inclusive practices and policies. Its purpose is to create sustainable changes in kindergarten-grade eight school and district educational systems so that students with significant cognitive disabilities can fully engage in the same instructional and non-instructional activities as their general education peers while being instructed in a way that meets individual learning needs. Three objectives of the presentationOverview of TIES Overview of 5C processShare parent video – helping your child with academics.TIES Center WebpageEncouraged people to sign up for the newsletter that is sent out every other month.Mr. Mycheal Willon – Outstanding Local PTA Advocacy Award – Fairfax County (FCPS) Special Education PTA?(SEPTA) (Virginia)Fairfax County Special Education PTA demonstrated true dedication and leadership through their determined advocacy on the issue of restraint and seclusion in schools. The use of restraint and seclusion in schools has been shown to cause post-traumatic stress disorder, physical injury, and even death. Additionally, these practices are disproportionately used against students with disabilities and students of color, making this an issue of racial equity and access to a free and appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To advance their advocacy, Fairfax County Special Education PTA collaborated with partners and adopted a position statement, utilizing National PTA's 2015 resolution on restraint and seclusion and National PTA's endorsement of 2020, Keeping All Students Safe Act. Fairfax County Special Education PTA also engaged their community to call upon their school board for massive reforms regarding the use and documentation of restraint and seclusion in Fairfax County Public Schools. As a result of their advocacy, a new policy was passed on December 17, 2020, banning seclusion and limiting restraint use in Fairfax County Public Schools.Congratulations to FCPS SEPTABusiness Meeting ContinuanceChristine Germeyer, Committee Chair and Jill Sowers, SSEAC Committee Vice-ChairAnnual Report discussionRead Commendations edits based on work completed yesterday. Developed themes Worked on Virtual learning concerns – discussion about regression and impact on social connections resulting from distant learning. As we “Return to Learn” making sure we have supports in place Mr. Garrison asked to change burnout to mental health under teacher retention. Reviewed public comments to make sure those themes were ics identified in committee discussion were added to the document. This was new this year in order to capture common themes from the various committees. Recommendations were discussedThe following were ideas were discussed Supporting the VDOE as they move forward with LEAs to implement Applied Studies Diploma changes and improve administrators and general education teachers' knowledge and skills to participate in the IEP process. Parents understand the consequences of choosing an applied studies diploma. These may be broken up rmed consent related to new VAAP for all LEAs, so parents understand the change and impacts.Supporting schools as they develop processes to establish baseline performance was discussed but not added to recommendations.Discussions about having 4-5 recommendations so that it does not get kicked back because there were too many (this happened six years ago).They discussed parents not wanting to see a disclaimer on IEPs. If these appear, Mr. Millward stated that we most likely would not want to wait on the board to hear this and would most likely need to be addressed. Mr. Millward asked individuals to provide direct examples. Reviewed recommendations put forward last year. The question was raised about teacher shortage funding, but Mr. Millward did not input the budget. The teacher shortage is still a concern for the VDOE.Reworded the first recommendation related to the teacher shortage and looking at JLARC recommendations and discussion of grants awarded by the State.There is a discussion about SEL, and the impact Mental Health has on student learning. VTSS addresses these issues in its framework. However, this discussion needs to continue in the future. Removed the UDL recommendation from last year.Concepts that needed to be included in recommendations have been discussed. Ms. Sowers stated that in the past that a motion can be made for the Executive committee the flexibility in prioritizing the recommendations and wordsmithing if the committee was ok with what was listed. Ms. Sowers moves that the SSEAC accept the 2020-2021 annual report developed today, March 11, 2021. The committee will allow the executive committee flexibility to edit wording and language and prioritize recommendations to this report during the executive committee meeting scheduled for Friday, March 12, 2021. Mr. Willon seconded. Mr. Summo asked for each of the recommendations to be read aloud for a final time. Mr. Summo asked to add "yearly IEP meeting to item #5" – Kendra agreed, and Ms. Curry stated we needed to add beginning when identified. A call of voting members was called, and it passed unanimously by all members present. Ms. Germeyer asked what things we wanted to have at the July meeting. Jeff Phenicie and Dr. Hollins will present and discuss the VAAP, Dr. Alteri, and update about the initiative in Richmond. See if Dr. Lane could attend a meeting and maybe Leah Walker with the Ed Equity office. We do not know if we will be back in person in July or not. Ms. Germeyer thanked all the members who were stepping down again for their service and asked them to keep the SSEAC meeting dates on the calendar to attend future in-person meetings. All outgoing members were given one last chance to speak. The next scheduled meeting is July 15-16, 2021. Aaron took a moment to recognize Ms. Germeyer's work as Chair of the committee. Ms. Jeffers stated how thankful she was for Ms. Germeyer's work as well as Ms. Sowers's work on the committee. Ms. Sowers thanked Ms. Germeyer's work on the committee and for how organized she was. Mr. Willon thanked the VDOE committee. Ms. Jeffers thanks Pat for stepping up to be the Secretary next year. With no further discussion from the committee, the meeting adjourned at 12:35 p.m. Friday, March 12, 2021Executive Committee Members:Mr. Michael Garrison, Member-at-LargeMrs. Christine Germeyer, Chair Ms. Margarete Hecker Jeffer, Secretary Mr. Matthew Luther, Member-at-Large Mrs. Jill Sowers, Vice-ChairMr. Brian Summo, Member-at-LargeVDOE Representatives:Mr. Henry J. “Hank” Millward, Jr., SEFFE, SESSMrs. Lisa Crafton (Recorder), SEFFE, SESSCall to OrderMrs. Germeyer welcomed everyone in attendance and called the meeting to order at 8 a.m. She immediately began the business of the executive committee.Business SessionApproval of AgendaThe agenda was distributed via email. The committee was asked to review the proposed agenda. Mr. Summo made the motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Luther seconded the motion. The agenda was approved unanimously.Business: Annual Report: Introduction of the recommendations: It was suggested to keep some of the paragraphs the same but reword the paragraph about the pandemic. Members of the committee crafted the wording in the chat. Members of the committee discussed the hardship some families and students went through while virtually providing supervision for their children. Not every Parent had the means to stay home with their child due to work commitments. Delivery of specialized instruction was severely compromised during the pandemic. There has been a negative impact on student’s social-emotional and mental health throughout the pandemic. Finishing the recommendation:Change the structure of grant funding that is being awarded to a student involved in the teacher training/program.Resume the support the VDOE provided the school districts through VTSS, social-emotional learning, and Trauma-informed care to the local school divisions. Support the VDOE in developing Regional Transitional Networking Councils urge the local school boards to hold schools accountable for their active participation. They were writing effective transition plans and the delivery of transition services for students. We are adding criteria to qualifying for the VAAP. Improve administrators and general education teachers' knowledge and skills to effectively participate in the IEP process by creating modules and training sessions. After discussing and reviewing the JLARC report, the committee decided to reprioritize the list in which the recommendation is being listed in the document. The committee wordsmith the recommendations. The committee revisited the public comments and the constituency reports and included equity into the recommendations. Public Comments: The committee added the public comments from the March 2021, meeting. Constituency Reports: The summary was completed the day before. The team agreed to keep the wording and added family engagement as well. Commendations: These captured the day before. Closing remarks: It stands as it is. The committee agree to Mrs. Germeyer making formatting changes to the document. Feedback to the TIES Center:Innovative resourcesWell thought out, more interactive, the presentation was well doneWithout teachers and home support, our students are at a disadvantage Future dates:The calendar is set through December 2021. Committee goals: The new committee is setting the goals for future meetings The question is will the next meeting be in-person. That is to be determined later.Certificates for outgoing members:If the committee meets in-person, the outgoing members will get their certificates in person.Upcoming MeetingsJuly 15-16, 2021 October 7-8, 2021December 2-3, 2021Mrs. Germeyer called the meeting adjourned at 11:35 a.m. ................
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