What Records Will Schools Need to Make Available to the On-site Monitoring Teams?

For the on-site visit, schools will need to provide the following records to the monitoring team for each student selected:

1. Complete special education file
2. Attendance records for the past year
3. Current class schedule
4. Evidence of service provision (for current school year)
5. Incident Management reports from PowerSchool

Individual schools will need to consider who will gather and present this information.  For example, for items 2, 3, and 5, in some schools it may be easier for the PowerSchool operator to print the information in advance then give it to the special education teacher who will keep all records together for each student selected.  We should have our list of participating schools and  students selected within the next two weeks.  School District of Oconee County administrators are encouraged to contact Marge Bright, Director of Special Services, with any questions related to the on-site monitoring process. 

How Should Special Education Teachers Prepare for On-site Monitoring at the School Level?

 

Special education teachers should prepare for school level on-site monitoring by doing the following:

1) Organize individual student IEP folders chronologically with the newest information on top.  Clip all documentation related to each meeting together (e.g., Notification of Meeting Letters/Responses, resulting IEP, Prior Written Notice, progress reports, etc.).

2) Have all IEP implementation documentation ready for review (e.g., class schedules, attendance records, service logs, etc.).

3) Make sure progress reports are up to date.

4) Be prepared to show evidence that general education teachers received notice of classroom accommodations written in the IEP that must be provided in the general education classroom.

5) For students with Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), be able to show evidence that school site administrators and general education teachers are familiar with the plan and are prepared to implement the plan when necessary.

 

Many thanks to our hard-working special educators as we prepare to demonstrate that the School District of Oconee County strives to provide a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities while adhering to the procedural and substantive requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

 

 

What Will On-site Monitoring Look LIke in SDOC?

According to training provided by South Carolina's Office of Exceptional Children, the school district of Oconee County can expect a team of about 8 members to visit our district on December 4th and 5th.  On December 4th, all on-site monitoring team members will work from the district office. Following a 30-minute LEA district presentation in the morning, two members of the on-site monitoring team will conduct focus group interviews with school site administrators, special education teachers and parents of the students randomly selected for review.  The group interviews will last about an hour. The remaining team members will conduct psychological folder reviews. 

On December 5th,  the on-site monitors will break up into three teams and will arrive at schools around 8:30 a.m.   From 9:00-11:15, they will conduct IEP implementation reviews at two elementary and one middle school.  From 12:30-2:45, they will conduct IEP implementation reviews at one middle and two high schools. They will debrief from 3:15-4:00 then will meet with the Director of Special Services for a concluding conference. 

 

 

Preparing for On-Site Monitoring from the Office of Exceptional Children

The School District of Oconee County will welcome on-site monitors from South Carolina's Office of Exceptional Children on December 4th and 5th, 2013.  Our local educational agency was selected for on-site monitoring according to the cyclical plan for the state.  The four parts of the monitoring process include:

1. Policies and Procedures Review--desk audit
2. IEP Development--desk audit of EXCENT IEPs and on-site review of student files
3. IEP Implementation--On-site visits to schools with review of student schedules, service logs, attendance records, and IEP progress reports
4. Other Data Collection--616/618 data, general education teacher and parent online survey results, and in-person interview information (parents, school administrators, special education teachers and service providers).

Our first round of data  (LEA policies, procedures, forms and staffing) was submitted Friday, September 13th.  Round two data (updated staffing information, student information spreadsheet, and email lists for teachers and parents participating in the online survey) will be sent in the next two weeks. 

I want to thank all of our special educators and administrators for their hard work in preparing for our visitors.  I am confident our district will benefit from the experience as we continue to strive to provide a free and appropriate public education to our students with special needs. 

Responding to Allegations of Disability Harassment in Schools--Advice for Administrators

I highly recommend that administrators investigate all incidents of reported harassment.  This practice protected a school district from having to make a private school placement at parental request (Waco Independent School District, 59 IDELR 57, SEA TX 2012) when the parent of a student with Asperger syndrome alleged that bullying was the cause of her child's school anxiety.  School officials investigated and found no evidence of threats to the child's safety.  They also provided documentation that the alleged bullying didn't prevent access to learning and that the student had normal intelligence and could participate in the general curriculum with appropriate support.  The independent hearing officer over this case commented that it seemed as though the student was experiencing the normal stages of growing up and that his Asperger syndrome may have contributed to his negative thoughts regarding peer communications.  When allegations of bullying and/or harassment are made, the subsequent investigation could include interviews with multiple witnesses (if applicable) to help verify that statements are accurate.  In some cases, the responses may reveal that comments were mean or rude versus meeting the definition of bullying or harassment.  Reviewing student records (e.g., IEPs, developmental history, functional behavior assessments/behavior intervention plans, and discipline records) may also help clarify if a student's disability may be impacting his or her self perceptions and the interpretation of the meaning of other students' comments during social interaction.  IEP teams may determine it is in a child's best interest to make changes to his or her IEP even if bullying or harassment is not taking place.  In the Waco case, the team may have considered adding a goal to improve social skills and interpreting communication cues.   

Transition Services and Individual Graduation Plans

My daughter sent me this photo of her friend's courtyard in Cairo. When I visited a couple summers ago someone told me that taxes are not paid on homes and buildings under construction. I guess that explains all the rebar I saw when touring.

It is very important that special education teachers and guidance counselors work together when documenting transition services in Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and when developing Individual Graduation Plans (IGPs).
Under S.C. Code Ann. Section 59-59-140 (2004), an IGP must be developed detailing the courses necessary for the student to prepare for graduation and to successfuly transition into the workforce or postsecondary education. An IGP must do the following:

1. align career goals and a student's course of study;



2. be based on the student's selected cluster of study and an academic focus within that cluster;



3. include core academic subjects, which must include, but are not limited to, English, math, science, and social studies to ensure that requirements for graduation will be met;



4. include experience-based, career-oriented learning experiences including, but not limited to, internships, apprenticeships, mentoring, co-op education, and service learning;



5. be flexible to allow change in the course of study but be sufficiently structured to meet graduation requirements and admission to postsecondary education;



6. incorporate provisions of a student's individual education plan, when appropropriate; and,



7. be approved by a certified school guidance counselor and the student's parents, guardians, or individuals appointed by the parents or guardians to serve as their designee.
   

The IGP should help guide the development of the IEP and decisions regarding the course of study should relate directly to present levels of performance and the student's post-secondary goal.

IEP teams should ask these questions:

"Do the transition courses of study focus on improving the academic and functional achievement of the student to facilitate movement from high school to post-secondary school?"

"Do the student's courses and other educational experiences align with the post-secondary goals and the IGP?"

Under What Circumstances Must An IEP Team use FBAs and BIPs?

My daughter took this picture of a friend's gazebo in Cairo.

Pursuant to 34 CFR section 300.530(f), FBAs and BIPs are required when the LEA, the parent, and the relevant members of the child's IEP team determine that a student's conduct was a manifestation of his or her disability under 34 CFR section 300.530(e). If a child's misconduct has been found to have a direct and substantial relationship to his or her disability, the IEP team will need to conduct a FBA of the child, unless one has already been conducted. Similarly, the IEP team must write a BIP for this child, unless one already exists. If a BIP already exists, then the IEP team will need to review the plan and modify it, as necessary, to address the behavior.

For a child with a disability whose behavior impedes his or her learning or the learning of others, and for whom the IEP team has decided that a BIP is appropriate, or for a child with a disability whose violation of the code of student conduct is a manifestation of the child's disability, the IEP team must include a BIP in the child's IEP to address the behavioral needs of the child.