Resources for Special Education Professionals |
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January Update
As we kick off the start to the 2022 school year with COVID-19 still posing a serious threat, the AJE team hopes that all our readers are staying safe and healthy.
This newsletter is designed to inform special education professionals about the different resources available to them to support their work with students and families.
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Happy New Year!
This edition of AJE's newsletter for Special Education Professionals includes:
- Restorative Justice Resources
- Classroom Tools
We hope you find our information helpful. If you do, please forward it to colleagues!
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Resources for Teaching!
Child Development
Cynthia Rogers is an associate professor of child psychiatry at the University of Washington St. Louis. She hosted an event on January 18th, 2022 where she will discuss how child development is influenced by poverty, crime, pre-and postnatal exposures to psychopathology, and substance use. She discussed how social situations affect brain development and different prevention and intervention strategies to optimize child development.
How de-escalation strategies can reduce disruptive classroom behaviors
Setting Up a Disability-Inclusive Curriculum
Six strategies for making people with disabilities a part of your students’ diverse learning experiences. This article contains some of AJE's favorite things - including a whole curriculum for using the acclaimed movie Crip Camp in the classroom!
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COVID-19 Update and Resources
We at AJE hope you are well and have what you need to to take care of yourself and your family during this challenging time. We are taking the recommended precautions for the safety of our staff, families, and partners, and to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
As of December 21, 2021, Mayor Muriel Bowser implemented a mask mandate policy requiring that all people wear masks indoors. Additionally, beginning at 6 am on January 15th individuals who are 12 and older will be required to show proof that they have had at least one shot upon entering restaurants, gyms, or conference centers in the D.C. area. Following this, on February 15, everyone visiting those same venues will have to show they have received both vaccinations (does not include boosters).
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What You Need To Know:
OSSE-DOT
DC, like many jurisdictions, is struggling to staff bus routes. Some states have even activated the National Guard to provide drivers
In order to address the shortage, OSSE-DOT is continuing to work with private vendors and is considering waiving some requirements for a CDL license following recent guidance from the Department of Education. The Department announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is giving states the option of waiving a portion of the commercial driver’s license (CDL) skills test requiring applicants to identify under the hood” engine components, with the aim of alleviating the school bus driver shortage.
OSSE-DOT has also increased access to reimbursement for parents and LEAs who provide transportation to students who should be transported by OSSE. The parent reimbursement forms are here - Parent Certification, OSSE-DOT Guidelines, and W9.
Roundtable Signup: Special Education Policies
In addition to the Oversight hearings, the Council is holding a Roundtable on Special Education Policies.
Complete this form to register to testify at the Committee of the Whole's hearing on Special Education Policies for Students with Disabilities. The hearing will be held on February 2, 2022, at 11:00 am.
You will receive an email after 5 pm on January 31st from "Committee of the Whole" confirming your sign-up.
Dignity in Schools Campaign National News
AJE is a proud member of the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) and is happy to share these resources and announcements from DSC.
DSC has officially signed on to the Coalition for Smart Safety and the Federal School Discipline and School Climate Coalition's Opposition Letter opposing the EAGLES ACT The EAGLES ACT reauthorizes the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) within the U.S. Secret Service. It reauthorizes the functions of NTAC through FY2025 and expands them to include the establishment of a national program on targeted school violence prevention.
DSC is also actively supporting a suite of bills pushed to end corporal punishment, federal funding for police in schools, and seclusion and restrain of students:
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Protecting Our Students in Schools Act: House (H.R. 3836 ), Senate ( S. 2029),
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Counseling Not Criminalization: House ( H.R. 4011), Senate (S.2125 ) AND
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Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA): House (H.R. 3474), Senate (S.1858).
DSC has also recently updated many of the resources they have for educators on their website, including -
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From the Department of Education:
On September 30, 2021, the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Service (OSERS) released a Return to School Roadmap to help practitioners working to achieve full implementation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements as schools and programs return to in-person services.
Topics covered in the document's Q&A include: meeting timelines, ensuring implementation of initial evaluation and reevaluation procedures, determining eligibility for special education and related services, providing the full array of special education and related services that children with disabilities need in order to receive a free appropriate education (FAPE), and more!
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From Educating All Learners:
Educating All Learners recently held webinars on everything from family engagement to making accessibility your market advantage. Recordings of those and other webinars can be found here.
For additional tips, strategies, and ideas, take a look at their comprehensive resource and tech tool libraries!
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Additional Links - New Reports & Resources on Special Education, Law Enforcement and Education, & Covid-19 |
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Supporting Students' Mental Health
The Education and Justice Departments issued a Fact Sheet on Supporting Students at Risk of Self Harm During COVID-19 Era
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Education crafted a Letter to Educators outlining the civil rights obligations of schools to students with mental health disabilities.
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Supporting DC's Youngest Students and Learners
Early Stages, a program of DCPS, is how DC plans to identify, locate and evaluate children between the ages of 2 years 8 months and 5 years 10 months suspected of having a disability and who are NOT already enrolled in another LEA (a Charter school).
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education's Strong Start DC Early Intervention Program provides early intervention therapeutic and additional services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays. Strong Start also accepts online referrals now.
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Talking to Parents about Vaccination and Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy
Additional information can be found in this infographic.
Do you want to build your skills to have conversations about the vaccine?
This online course aims to provide “vaccine ambassadors” with the tools to discuss concerns about COVID-19 vaccines with people in their communities. The self-paced course teaches adults how to have respectful and empathetic conversations with parents and guardians who remain hesitant about vaccination for their children, even if they are vaccinated themselves.
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Upcoming Events for Families and Children
University of Maryland’s Peers and Effect Programs
Enrollment is now open for the University of Maryland Executive Function for Effective Cognitive Transformation (EFFECT) Program for high school and early young adults (up to 22 years old) in their gap year(s).
EFFECT is a virtual 12-week program with weekly individual (M, Tu, Th, F afternoon/evenings) and group sessions (Thursdays 5:30-6:30pm) that will be conducted by two UMD Faculty Specialists through the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences Clinic who are certified and licensed speech-language pathologists with expertise in the area of executive functioning and social interaction.
AJE Seeking Parent Survey Participants
AJE is seeking parents of children and youth with disabilities from Wards 1, 7 and 8 to participate in our Community Health Needs Assessment Survey! Participants can receive a $25 gift card. More information here - bit.ly/AJESurvey22 and bit.ly/AJEEncuesta22,
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Affordable Access to Food Resources
This is a food pantry program that provides free bagged groceries to those in need.
Farm-stands-on-wheels that distribute local, sustainably produced food to underserved communities in the Washington, DC area. Their mission is to improve access to healthy and affordable food regardless of where you live and how much you make.
This market has partnered up with several Elementary schools across the D.C. area providing them with fresh fruits and vegetables. The market also features kids’ cooking activities, recipe samples, and chef-led culinary demonstrations, designed to get children excited about healthy eating and cooking.
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Information About Telemedicine:
Are you worried about the efficacy of telehealth visits? New research indicates that maybe you shouldn't be.
In general, the evidence shows that using video teleconferencing in health care results in outcomes that are just as good as and in some cases better than in-person care," said lead researcher Jordan Albritton, a public health analyst with RTI International, a nonprofit research institute in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
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About AJE:
Advocates for Justice and Education is the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center and the Health Information Center for DC. AJE seeks to empower families, youth, and the community to be effective advocates to ensure that children and youth, particularly those who have special needs, receive access to appropriate education and health services.
Our passion is empowering families by equipping parents and students with disabilities with the tools they need to be their own best advocates.
Have questions? We are here to educate, advocate and empower. Contact us today!
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Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.| (P) 202.678.8060 | (F) 202.678.8062 |
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