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Volume 31

November 2024

South County SELPA Insights is a monthly newsletter full of information and resources brought to you by the South County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) team. This month we will discuss Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and how the SELPA can be of support. Keep reading to find resources and ways the South County SELPA can assist you and your family.

Do you ever feel you need help in reaching a resolution with the team when it comes to your child’s IEP?

ADR is a free, voluntary process for resolving special education conflict in a neutral, respectful, and caring environment. It uses clear communication, collaboration, negotiation, and mediation to produce a fair agreement that meets the interests of all parties involved. The ADR process allows school districts and parents to come up with an innovative and jointly agreeable outcome.

ADR processes are entirely confidential, meaning that access to verbal and written communications, including clinical, medical, and educational records, restricted to only appropriate parties. ADR services can address disagreements in identification, evaluation, and placement of students. ADR supports can assist parents and districts in coming to a mutually agreeable resolution where all parties still maintain the ability to give input.

As part of ADR, the South County SELPA provides a continuum of supports to families. Here is a brief description of the informal and formal Supports. If you would like more information, please fill out our request form.

Informal Supports Available:

• Special Education Parent Liaison: Special Education Parent Liaisons provide information and support to families of students with disabilities. If you have a question related to your child’s educational experience or the IEP process, they can help explain everything further and help you access the resources you may need.
• Neutral SELPA Case Review: SELPA staff will gather information and provide analysis of the current area of concern. We can review the IEP or reports that you may have a difficult time understanding so that you can feel confident by meaningfully participating in the IEP process.
• Neutral SELPA IEP Support: Recommended when the IEP meeting would benefit from the added support of a neutral person to ask for clarification and to ensure positive reciprocal communication. We can ask those questions that you may have and are not sure how to obtain a response to and make sure you are connected with the right staff in your district that can support you.

Formal Supports Available:



• Facilitated IEP Meeting: A formal IEP meeting intended to address concerns from parents or districts with the help of a neutral facilitator. We can attend the IEP meeting and help facilitate the conversation in a neutral manner so that everyone’s point of view is heard and understood.
• Early Dispute Resolution Mediation: A trained mediator works with parents and districts to resolve a prospective dispute at the earliest opportunity. We can work with you and the district to talk about possible solutions in order to make the process of reaching a resolution less lengthy.
• Facilitated Resolution Meeting: After the filing for due process, a neutral facilitator helps parties complete the legally required resolution meeting in a collaborative manner. If you feel the previous supports have not addressed your child’s needs, we can be of support to help everyone reach a resolution in a collaborative manner by having a resolution meeting with you and district staff to come to a solution that is in the best interest of your child.

Special Education Parent Liaisons

South County SELPA has two amazing Special Education Parent Liaisons who can help parents navigate their Special Education journey. Our liaisons have been with the South County SELPA for many years and have made some strong connections with families and school personnel. If you would like to connect with one of our liaisons, please submit a request.

FERIA (F) Families, (E) Educators, (R) Resources (I) IHE’s, and (A) Agencies working together = Equal Student SUCCESS

South County SELPA team attended the FERIA conference and provided resources to families. It was a day filled with over 10 workshops for families to expand their knowledge of Special Education topics. The purpose and vision of the FERIA Partnership Annual Conference Collaborative is to empower Latino families and provide them the knowledge to effectively support their children with special needs from cradle to college to adult life, as well as to assist them in attaining their optimal learning potential through a culturally and linguistically responsive home, school, and community collaborative in San Diego County, including a high school student Leadership Academy, self-advocacy and professional strands. We look forward to next year's conference.

Reach Out to Families Resource Fair (South Bay Union School District)

Reach Out to Families Resources Center hosted an open house where families were able to tour the center. The center also hosted their Community Health and Resource Fair for families to connect with local resources. SELPA staff are thrilled to partner with the center and share resources with South Bay Union families.

Transition to PreSchool Meetings for Parents of Member Districts

The purpose of these meetings is for parents of children with special needs to learn what transitioning from an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) means and how to access resources in the process. We look forward to meeting with more families in the near future. Each member district will host a meeting, while we will also offer a virtual option for those who cannot attend in person.

Virtual Meeting — Nov. 21, 10 to 11 a.m.

National School District — Jan. 23, 9 to10 a.m.

San Ysidro School District — Feb. 25, 9 to 10 a.m.

Coronado Unified School District — Apr. 5, 10 to 11 a.m.

Save the Date

The date for our 17th Annual Art Exhibition and District Awards Recognition is set for May 8, 2025. This year's theme is, "Spring into Art: A Garden of Expression." We would like to thank the teachers who submitted ideas for this year's theme. We can't wait to see the beautiful art the students create. The art walk will begin at 3:30 p.m. and presentation of district awards for staff will be at 4 p.m. More details will be available as we approach the event.

Dec. 2 — Positive Behavior Support at Home

The Positive Behavior Support at Home presentation and discussion is designed to provide an outline, ideas, and examples to assess learning in the home that supports learning in the classroom. In-person workshop will be from 10:45 a.m. to noon at the South County Regional Education Center located at 800 National City Blvd. National City, CA 91950. Link to register.

Jan. 15 to Feb. 12 — Parent IEP Academy Winter Series

Interested in increasing your understanding of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process? Do you want to feel confident that you have the necessary tools to fully participate in your child’s IEP? Register now for the Parent IEP Academy, which will meet Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. or 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Spanish Registration / English Registration

Jan. 23 — CAC Meeting

Meeting will be at the South County Regional Education Center, located at 800 National City Blvd. National City, CA 91950 from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information visit CAC website.

If you have any questions or comments on the SELPA Insights newsletter, please contact our team at scselpaadr@sdcoe.net.

Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at South County SELPA.