January 2025

Greetings AJE families and supporters!

As we all settle into a new school year, we wanted to let you know about what AJE is doing this month and preview our Spring training calendar!

Our popular Parent Cafe series continues in 2025 - our next two cafes are on Saturday, January 25th at 10 am and Saturday, February 22nd at 10 am offering caregivers a safe space to talk. Parents and Caregivers can register here for the January and February cafes.

Other upcoming trainings include -

Preparing for your Next IEP Meeting Parents and Caregivers can register here for this training on Wednesday, January 29th at 7 p.m.

In February, AJE will host The Special Education Process on Wednesday, February 26th at 7 p .m. Families can register for the February training here.

On Monday, March 17th at 12p.m. (St Patrick's Day) we will hold Effective Communication Strategies for Parents and Caregivers. Families can register for the noon Communication session here.

Also in March we have All about Secondary Transition on Wednesday, March 26th at 7 p.m., Families can register for the March Secondary Transition session here.

In order to help families prepare for Spring IEP meetings, we are repeating The Special Education Process on Wednesday, April 23rd at 7 p.m. Families can register for the April Special Education Process here.

On Wednesday, April 30th at 7 p.m. we will repeat Preparing for your Next IEP Meeting. Families can register for the April session of Preparing for your next IEP meeting here,

Look for another email in the coming days with information about our 2025 Parent Leadership Academy Winter Session, and our two Child Abuse Prevention Trainings on Monday, February 10th with Safe Shores. The Safe Shores trainings will be virtual and will be in Spanish at 4pm and in English at 7pm.

We hope to see some of you at one or more events!

New Video for Families!

AJE is excited to share the news that our newest video, "What to Expect When You Go to Mediation" is now available for viewing!

This video is a valuable resource for parents who are considering filing a mediation request or have recently filed a Due Process Complaint.

You’ll learn several useful tips from both an attorney’s perspective (how to prepare) and a parent’s perspective (such as coming well-rested, bringing water, and maybe a snack). Watch the video here.

We also encourage our families to check out our handout that compares and contrasts various aspects of your special education dispute resolution options. You can access the handout here.

Resources for Families!

We at AJE know that families have wide-ranging unmet needs, many of which AJE is unable to meet. That is why we are often posting and sharing resources from other organizations.

Here are a few we wanted to highlight

• Neighborhood Legal Services
• Wendt Center
• WMATA Travel Training
• Housing Resources

Finally, DC Volunteer Lawyers Project offers FREE confidential legal assistance for protection orders, divorce, custody, and immigration cases for families. Clinics are held weekly at multiple locations across DC.

Resources from the US Department of Education

OCR Issues Fact Sheet to Support 504 Eligible Students in Post-Secondary Settings

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a new resource regarding Section 504 (Section 504) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 titled: Individualized Assessments for Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education.

The resource explains Section 504’s requirement that postsecondary schools consider each student as a unique individual. Postsecondary schools include colleges and universities, and also trade and career schools. It helps families and young people understand how 504 works in the postsecondary setting and explains that schools are required to individually assess a student’s need for academic adjustments or accommodations in conversation with the student - this conversation and consultation is called the interactive process.

Using Functional Behavioral Assessments to Create Supportive Learning Environments

In November 2024 the U.S. Department of Education released guidance to help schools and early childhood programs better address students’ behavioral needs. In December the Department of Education hosted a webinar to discuss the guidance in detail.

View the webinar recording here.

Secretary Cardona’s Policy Letter on Seclusion and Restraints

On January 8, 2025, Secretary Cardona issued a policy letter concerning the use of restraint and seclusion practices in schools. 

The U.S. Department of Education remains concerned that children continue to be subjected to restraint and seclusion practices even though these practices are harmful to children and despite the lack of evidence that these practices are effective strategies to respond to a child’s behavior or that these practices reduce the occurrence of behaviors that interfere with learning. The use of restraint and seclusion practices is inconsistent with our shared goal to ensure every child is treated with dignity and free from abuse.

Read the policy letter here. 

For Youth - EMPLOYMENT CHECKLIST FOR STUDENTS (AGES 14-22) WITH DISABILITIES

Getting a job is an exciting experience that takes planning. There are important documents you may need before you can get a job. There are skills you will need to prepare you for employment, and actions that you may need to take to be successful.

This checklist from AJE's sister Parent Training and Information Center in Virginia, PEATC, can help young people prepare for employment and guide some of their secondary transition activities.

Access the checklist here.

Strong Start Community Playgroups at Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library and Woodridge Neighborhood Library

The Strong Start DC Early Intervention Program (DC EIP) Community Playgroups provide families with information about their child’s development, early childhood developmental screenings, early intervention process and community resources available to families across DC. The community playgroups are facilitated by early intervention professionals and provide a family-centered, child-interest driven environment for children to interact with their same-age peers, while families receive information about early intervention related topics.

Community playgroups are held on different days throughout each month depending on location. 

RSVP opens at 10 a.m. two weeks prior to the scheduled community playgroup date and closes at 10 a.m. the day before the playgroup.

If you have questions or need help with registration, please contact Christopher Chapman at (202) 741-0792 or Christopher.Chapman@dc.gov

Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library (3660 Alabama Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20020) Playgroups will take place on the following Wednesdays from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

• Feb. 5
• March 5
• April 2
• May 7
• June 4
• July 2
• Aug. 6
• Sept. 3

Woodridge Neighborhood Library (1801 Hamlin St., NE, Washington, DC 20018) Playgroups will take place on the following Fridays from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

• Jan. 24
• Feb. 28
• March 28
• April 25
• May 23
• June 27
• July 25
• Aug. 22

Join the Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC)

AJE knows that parents have an important and unique perspective to share about policymaking, especially policies involving children and families. That is why we are sharing the opportunity to join the Strong Start ICC with our families!

We encourage interested parents to observe a meeting and learn more - especially if your family received early intervention services from Strong Start! 

You can help Strong Start improve outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities by representing the parent experience!

Learn more here.

National Museum of Natural History

AJE would like to share with families that registration is open for the first Morning at the Museum program of 2025! Morning at the Museum will take place on Saturday, February 8th from 8:30-10:00 am at the National Museum of Natural History (Constitution Ave. Entrance). Registered participants will be able to explore the museum’s first floor and participate in facilitated activities.

Please use this Microsoft Forms link to sign up for this program. Additional Morning at the Museum programs will be announced in the coming weeks.

Families can learn more at this link - https://www.si.edu/visit/accessibility and also here - https://access.si.edu/

Stay Updated with OSSE's LEA Look Forward!

The LEA Look Forward is a weekly publication from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) designed for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in Washington, DC. It's an excellent way for parents, caregivers and community members to know what school leaders are hearing from OSSE.

Sign up and view the latest issue here: LEA Look Forward.

Sharing your Transportation Story

The presiding Judge in the pending transportation court litigation expressed an interest in hearing what DC families who use OSSE-DOT transportation have experienced more recently.

Families can learn more about the litigation here.

If you are interested in sharing your experiences, please do so here.

Find your PTI

Did you know that AJE is part of a nationwide network of Parent Training and Information (PTI) Centers?

Locally, Maryland families are served by Parents Place of Maryland (www.ppmd.org) and in Virginia families are supported by PEATC, the Parent Education, Advocacy and Training Center (www.peatc.org). Northern Virginia foster, adoptive and kinship care families are also supported by Formed Families Forward. (www.formedfamiliesforward.org)

If you are outside of DC, you can find your PTI here - www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/

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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 advocates.

Have questions? We are here to educate, advocate and empower. Contact us today!