June 28, 2023 | Issue 85 (View newsletter as webpage) Para leer este boletín en Español, haga clic aquí

Important News

National Survey Reveals Parents’ Mindsets as the 2022-2023 School Year Ends

The National PTA has released the results of their national survey with the CDC Foundation exploring parents' mindsets as the 2022-2023 school year ends. Key findings include:

School violence and bullying lead parents’ concerns. This worry experienced the largest increase over the course of this research effort.
Parents overwhelmingly want schools to provide safe learning environments where all students have a voice and use historically accurate educational materials.
Parents want to be a part of school efforts to support their child’s emotional and mental health. Most parents surveyed indicated they strongly support schools providing services to support students’ emotional and mental health.
Most parents are very interested in summer programs and activities. Most parents surveyed indicated they are very interested in summer programs and activities designed to keep their children physically active, interacting with other children and/or supporting their learning.

To read the survey report, click here.

Resources

Parent Leaders Rising!

Our SPAN Family has expanded!

Congratulations to our recent SPAN Resource Parent (SRP) graduates who completed their training on May 25, 2023. This is our first SRP in-person training since the pandemic. We couldn't be more proud of these outstanding servant leaders and the positive ways they will impact their communities.

The SRP Program is an intensive training program designed to educate volunteers to assist families of children with disabilities and special health care needs.

The next in-person SRP training is scheduled for 9/20 - 10/25, with location and registration details still to be determined. When finalized, these details will be posted on our website soon.

For more on the SRP program, visit here.

U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Jointly Issue Fact Sheets on Protecting Access to Education for Migratory and Unaccompanied Children

On June 14, , the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (Justice) jointly released two fact sheets: Protecting Access to Education for Migratory Children and Protecting Access to Education for Unaccompanied Children. The fact sheets highlight specific challenges some migratory children and unaccompanied children may face while accessing public education. Additionally, these fact sheets explain where families can seek help and remind public schools of their responsibilities to migratory and unaccompanied children under federal civil rights laws. Specifically, public schools must:

Be open to all students, including unaccompanied and migratory children, regardless of their or their parents’ immigration status.
Offer language assistance services to K-12 students who have limited English proficiency, including unaccompanied and migratory children.
Make information about enrollment, classes, and other educational programs and activities accessible to parents and guardians who have limited English proficiency.

To access these fact sheets in Spanish, click here and here.

Upcoming Events

SPAN offers a variety of learning opportunities for families and the professionals who work with them.

Highlighted Event This Week

Advocating with and for Diverse Individuals with I/DD and their Families

June 29, 2023 (Tomorrow!)

11:00AM - 12:00PM EDT

Advocating with and for Diverse Individuals with I/DD and their Families: Why and How?

This webinar will discuss the importance of all leaders and advocates within the community of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families advocating for and with such individuals. We will also discuss effective approaches to engage with underserved, marginalized individuals with I/DD and their families to encourage and support their advocacy, and the role of the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities, family leaders, and self-advocates in advocating for equitable access for all.

Presented by SPAN's own Diana MTK Autin

To register, click here.

See all of SPAN's upcoming events with details and registration links here

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Getting Around NJ Featuring Rutgers' Study - CLOCK in RECOVER

Read our latest youth blog post, "Getting Around NJ Featuring Rutgers' Study - CLOCK in RECOVER," to discover what the Garden State offers in modes of transportation. Featuring a Rutgers' paid study to help solve Long COVID in children in young adults (up to 25).

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