SEPAC MEETING MINUTES – 9/13/12

Attendees:

Eileen Donohue, Dorrie Furness, Maureen Murray, Leah Nabstedt, Mimi Pugsley, Jeffrey Rubin,Barbara Tennison, Kristen Zechello

Minutes from theJune 13, 2012meeting were reviewed approvedfor submission to the School Committee.

Current

SEPAC Board meeting scheduled 10/3/12

  • Parents are invited to attend and participate in goal setting for the upcoming school year. We continue to reach out to ask for parent participation.

Subcommittee Updates:

  • MCAS – Lead by Mimi Pugsley
  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.
  • Anti-Bullying –Lead by Mimi Pugsley
  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.
  • Diversity - No Lead on this Subcommittee
  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.
  • Community Inclusion Awards – Lead by Kristen Zechello
  • The awards have been scheduled for Wednesday May 22, 2013.
  • Community Outreach – Lead by Kristen Zechello
  • SEPAC representatives were at all School Open Houses this fall to hand out information and answer questions of parents.
  • SEPAC representatives set up tables along with school PTOs to be available as parents entered.
  • Parents’ Rights and Procedural Safeguards and workshop brochures were handed out to parents and they were able to sign up for our email subscriber list if they chose to.
  • SEPAC asked that the district continue to be mindful of scheduling open houses for each school on different nights next fall.
  • Parents that have students in different schools are unable to attend all of their children’s open houses in their different schools because they are scheduled on the same night.
  • Also, there are several teachers in town that were unable to attend their child’s open house because they were staffing their classroom open houses at other schools.
  • With the support of Mrs. Hume as a parent and SEPAC member, Mrs. Zechello spoke at the first coaches meeting with Braintree Youth Soccer this month to share messages of awareness, acceptance and inclusion with coaches and other parent volunteers. There was positive feedback from several attendees at the meeting and was overall a well received presentation.
  • The SEPAC will continue this year to reach out to as many Braintree Youth Sports organizations as we are able to continue sharing our SEPAC’s message of inclusion in the community.
  • Mr. Rubin revised the Parents Guide to Special Education Programs this summer. SEPAC received hard copies and will get the electronic version to put on the website.
  • Dr. Murray shared the new staff listing of appointments for the 2012–2013 school year. SEPAC to share with membership via email and on the website.
  • Social Skills Curriculum – Lead by Leah Nabstedt/Michelle Owens
  • Mrs. Nabstedt provided an update at this meeting that Kelly Ruble has joined the Social Skills Curriculum Subcommittee.
  • SEPAC also reached out to the membership via email to ask parents to join the Subcommittee.
  • There will be a presentation on October 5, 2012 from 10-11 at BHS from Tracy Stoll from Learning Solutions in Norwood. Afterward from 11-12, there will be a brainstorming session to discuss issues more specifically.
  • Mr. Rubin described how the session would be structured with Tracy Stoll:
  • Mr. Rubin explained that he wanted to start this brainstorming process with those folks who are specifically involved in the “front line” of social skill training and start from there. We will need to take on this initiative from the top down if we want it to be successful. The administration is hoping to make it something the district can really implement over the next several years with Tracy Stoll as a consultant.
  • Speech and Language Pathologists, School Psychologists, Behavior Analysts, Special Education Teachers and parents are invited to attend. Ms. Tennison asked if general education teachers are invited.
  • Tracy will be an ongoing resource and will follow this through from the experts out to general educators and then ultimately all of the students.
  • What we don’t want is for someone to come in and train special educatorsand have it end there.
  • ALL educators need to know if this is something they can do and how can they be supported as they implement a social skills curriculum.
  • Mr. Rubin wants as many parents to come as possible to get specifics on how students are continuing to struggle socially.
  • Mrs. Zechello to send an email out to membership to invite parents to participate in the presentation and brainstorming session.

New

Peer Social Challenges

  • Tracey Stoll from Learning Solutions training 10/5/12 for BCBAs and School Psychologists
  • (see update above under Social Skills Curriculum Subcommittee)

Language Based Programs

  • Overview - Elementary, Middle and High School
  • Mr. Rubin described theLanguage Based programming in Braintree from preschool through the Language Enrichment program at the High School level.
  • Preschool, although not specifically called “Language Based” is thoroughly staffed with Language professionals and teachers to focus on all aspects of language at the 3-5 age group.
  • In elementary school the Language Based Program is based at the Hollis School. There are 6 classrooms from Kindergarten through grade 5. Each classroom is staffed by a Special Education teacher and two para-professionals. Students are mainstreamed/integrated as appropriate based on their needs.
  • At the high school level there is the Language Enrichment Program which is designed as a substantially separate program with several students being integrated into BHS mainstream. The program is staffed by four Special Education teachers, three para-professionals and one school adjustment counselor.
  • Are there proposals or requirements from the DESE which would change the way in which the teaching model or services are delivered to students in this and other programs with substantially separateclassrooms?
  • SEPAC has concerns about some changes being made at the South Middle School in the Language Based program that some parents have brought to their attention.
  • Parents of seventh grade students told SEPAC thatEnglish Language Based classes are being eliminated and are being asked to sign amendments to their children’s IEPs and being told that this is a DESE initiative. SEPAC is not sure if the 8th grade students are also affected.
  • It is SEPAC’s understanding that the students from these English classes have been combined into the level 4 classes to make the class size 22 students.
  • This combined class has been staffed by a Special Education teacher, a General Education teacher, a para-professional and a Speech and Language Pathologist.
  • With the classroom heavily staffed, it still doesn’t change the fact that students with language based disabilities typically require a small class size to address attention difficulties, social challenges, individualized instruction, accommodations and curriculum modifications, etc.
  • Mr. Rubin to look into how the changes happened, (i.e. were there discussions over the phone with parents and agreements made etc?) Mr. Rubin also said that there is no DESE initiative driving the changes made to the Language Based programming at South.
  • Mrs. Pugsley asked how will the district monitor the MCAS scores of these students to assess if the change has affected them? Also, is there a way to look at scores by Special Education program? There is no way to look at scores by program, only by disability.

*SEPAC would like this to remain on the agenda as parents are being told that this is a DESE initiative. The questions remain: Is there a more extensive plan? And are other LB programs being changed as well? SEPAC parents are concerned about the future of the programming.

  • SEPAC also brought up a concern about the new Language Based Program classrooms built in the basement of South Middle School.
  • Students are being asked to travel from the basement to the upstairs with limited time and they are challenged physically (ambulatory, not wheelchair bound but challenged).
  • The code was discussed and the issue of safety. Dr. Murray explained that Mr. Kress is the one who would be in charge of all regulation compliance and inspection components of construction in our schools.
  • SEPAC brought up the social struggles of these kids and how being put in the basement is more isolating for them.
  • Mr. Rubin spoke with Mr. McDonough, South Middle School’s Principal about this construction at the end of the summer.
  • We have a serious space problem here in Braintree as we all know. Because of the size of the rooms in the basement, Language Based classes were put down there because they are smaller class sizes. Mr. Rubin explained that there is no intention of isolation of these students and that there are general education classrooms in the basement as well.

Open

Ipad Professional Learning Community/User Group – Update

  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.

Social Skills Curriculum/Circle of Friends – Update

  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.

Search committees for New Director of Special Services - Update

  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.

Disability Awareness/Professional Development Training for teachers – Update

  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.

Vendor Bus Driver/Monitors/Substitutes Training policy – Update

  • No update at this meeting, will continue this discussion at the meeting in October.

Open Discussion

  • Dr. Murray shared the wonderful news that Braintree was named one of the nation’s Top 100 Communities for Young People by America’s Promise. The award was announced in a webinar by Colin Powell on 9/12/12. Dr. Murray and Barbara Mello, Braintree’s grant writer, worked together on this initiative. Many of the organizations and programs for people with special needs were cited as well as the many alliances in town for young people. The district will receive a small amount of grant funding to host a celebration and the remaining funds will be allocated to the Braintree Youth Center and our schools.
  • The group discussed, at length, MCAS scores for students in out of district placements.
  • Mr. Rubin explained that although individual scores are made available to the home district for a student, the state does not require private schools to compile scores and they do not receive a rating by the state of their scores overall like public school districts do.
  • This is of serious concern for parents investigating appropriate placements for their special needs child AND for educators making recommendations for schools outside the district. There is no way for anyone to see how the school is performing on MCAS overall, therefore, there is no way to hold the school accountable.
  • Districts are paying out tuitions to schools that if they are not performing and getting students to proficient scores, could use that funding to develop programming within districts.
  • Least Restrictive Environment is ALWAYS the DESE mission and it is ALWAYS the SEPAC’s mission that student inclusion in their own community be a priority.
  • The SEPAC board will discuss this issue and perhaps consider speaking with the Federation for children with Special Needs about Advocating for a change in this lack of oversight at the state level.
  • Mrs. Pugsley brought up how well she received she felt our SEPAC initiative was at the Liberty School Open House. The PTO was so welcoming and the Principal, Dr. Radiches was more than accommodating and asked if she would like to speak at the assembly etc.
  • Dr. Murray also shared that a Special Education teacher has been hired by the district to teach at South Middle School. Mr. Boyton is dual certified in both Special Education and Math. The group has discussed many times in the past how difficult teaching “content” is for Special Education teachers and that hiring teachers with dual certification will only continue to make our programming stronger.

Next meeting date and time:

  • October 18, 2012 at 11:45am in the Special Services Office. *At this meeting we will set the monthly meetings for the remainder of the school year.

Minutes prepared by:

  • Kristen Zechello