QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE
SPECIAL EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING ~ Wednesday,
March 30, 2022
A meeting of
the Special Education Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 6:00
pm in the Coddington Building. Present
were Subcommittee Members Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Tina Cahill, and Mrs. Kathryn
Hubley, Chair. Also present were School
Committee Chair Mayor Thomas Koch; School Committee Members Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs.
Emily Lebo, and Mr. Frank Santoro; Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant
Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Julie Graham, Ms. Sarah Anderson, Ms. Simone
Buckley, Ms. Katie Carey, Ms. Jennifer Leary, Ms. Maura Papile, Mr. Keith
Segalla; Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education Co-Presidents
Ginger McGill and Sarah Woods; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Special
Education Director Julie Graham, Special Education Coordinator Sarah Anderson,
and Team Administrators Simone Buckley, Catherine Carey, and Jennifer Leary
presented the Special Education Rights & Responsibilities presentation to
ensure that parents will understand their children’s rights and the special
education process. The information in
the presentation will hopefully enhance the collaboration between the family
and school and allow for the parents and staff to participate in special
education matters as knowledgeable partners. The Quincy Public Schools Special
Education department operates under the state’s Special Education law for
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).
A student is
eligible for Special Education if they have one or more disabilities, they are
not making effective progress in school as a result of the disability(ies), and
the student requires specialized instruction to make effective progress. There are thirteen types of disabilities
defined in state and federal regulations:
autism, developmental delay, sensory impairment (hearing, vision, and hearing
and vision), neurological impairment, emotional impairment, communication
impairment, physical impairment, health impairment, specific learning
disability, and multiple disabilities. Special
Education is a specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of an
eligible student and/or related services necessary to access and make progress
in the general curriculum.
The timeline
is up to 45 working days following the consent to evaluate a student, including
evaluating the student, a team meeting to determine eligibility, development of
the IEP and determination of placement, and proposed IEP and placement to
parent within 10 calendar days of team meeting.
Services would begin upon parent consent.
There are six
Special Education principles: (1) Parent and Student Participation; (2) Free
and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE); (3) Appropriate Evaluation; (4)
Individualized Education Program (IEP); (5) Least Restrictive Environment
(LRE); (6) Procedural Safeguards. These
principles support the student-centered nature of the process and the rights of
parents and students above age 14 to participate in the planning of specific,
measurable goals, decision-making activities, and to be assessed in
non-discriminatory fashion with appropriate notifications for each stage of the
process.
Mrs. Cahill asked
how the process is initiated. Ms. Graham
said that a teacher may recognize that a student is not making progress or a
parent may reach out to express concerns.
Ms. Graham said some students receive 504 plans that are accommodations that don’t rise to the level of an
IEP.
Mr. Bregoli
asked what percentage of students receive Special Education services by
elementary, middle, and high school level.
This information was shared in the Program Improvement Plan, there are
2064 students currently receiving Special Education services (988 in
Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5; 472 in Grades 6-8; 604 in Grades 9-12 and
post-graduate LEAP program).
Mr. Bregoli
asked if Quincy Public Schools has the capacity to diagnose for all of the
identified disabilities. Ms. Graham said
that we can recommend providers for the evaluations that are beyond the scope
of what the school can perform.
Mr. Bregoli
asked about students who are English Learners, how can we differentiate between
language development and Special Education issues for students. Ms. Graham said the Family Liaisions assist
with assessing students in their native languages, supported by outside
agencies as needed.
Mr. Bregoli
asked about IEP objectives not being met, Ms. Graham said that during each
re-evaluation, the objectives are reviewed and refined, a student not making
effective progress can have an amended IEP.
Parents have the right to request the team reconvene at any time.
Mr. Bregoli
asked for the difference between the 504 plan and an IEP. Ms. Graham said a 504 plan is for
accommodations inside and sometimes outside of school, sometimes are
health-related. Mr. Bregoli asked about
the SATs, Ms. Perkins said the accommodations have to be submitted and approved
by the College Board
Mr. Gutro
requested a breakdown of number of students within each disability. Mr. Gutro asked about definitions for the
disability categories, Ms. Leary said the definitions are on the DESE website.
Mrs. Lebo
noted that dyslexia is still not a specific disability, even though the state
requires screening for it for all students.
Mrs. Lebo
asked if the goal statements are updated when the IEP is revised, Ms. Graham
said the new goals are driven by classroom data from formative and summative
assessments.
Mrs. Lebo
asked about when a family refuses Special Education supports, Ms. Graham said
the school and Special Education staff would continue to provide support within
the classroom setting (universal accommodations) while providing data to
support the placement recommendation. Ms.
Anderson said that since middle and high school have sections with co-teaching,
students can be in inclusion classes without an IEP.
Mr. Bregoli
said the initial meeting with the school staff and the parents is critical to
the success, parents need to feel welcomed and not in an adversarial
situation. Mr. Bregoli asked about
pull-out vs. push-in services. Ms.
Graham said that at elementary school, it is still largely a pullout model. At middle and high school, most students are
in the inclusion classes but there are also resource room classes as well.
Mr. Bregoli asked
about Occupational and Physical Therapy, how many staff members and what is
their caseload. Ms. Graham said that
through the support the School Committee, the staff members have been increasing. Ms. Leary said there are 9 Occupational
Therapists, 1.5 Physical Therapists and 3 Physical Therapy Assistants, and 14
Speech-Language Pathologists and 6 Speech Assistants. Ms. Graham said we also have a teacher for
visual impairment, one for hearing impairment, and a mobility coordinator.
Mrs. Hubley
reiterated that it is important that parents are comfortable with the IEP
before students and that students over age 13 have the opportunity to be
involved in planning their IEP goals.
Quincy
Parent Advisory Council to Special Education Board Members Ginger McGill and
Sarah Wood presented an update on their community outreach activities. Collaboration is underway with the Recreation
Department and Director Michelle Hanly for vacation week and summer programming
(including the Happy Acres camp). In
addition, the board is looking for enrichment opportunities and after-school
programming. QPAC is working on
developing a parent survey, there is an increased level of participation in
monthly QPAC meetings. QPAC is planning
a Resource Fair, including supports for life skills such as dental visits and
haircuts. Thanks to QHS Culinary and Ms.
Niosi for support for Gingerbread decorating event. In thinking about equity and inclusion, QPAC
is planning to have age-appropriate events (for example, two Gingerbread
nights, one for PK-Grade 5 and one for Grades 6-12).
Mrs. Cahill
asked how the activities are funded, Ms. Wood said that donations supported the
candy for the Gingerbread night.
Mr. Santoro
asked how QPAC supports parents who might be concerned about the IEP process,
Ms. McGill said they can refer families to Ms. Graham or Ms. Perkins.
Mrs. Lebo complimented
the planning of the age-appropriate activities, asked for them to summarize
what they are hearing from parents in case there is an area of need that can be
addressed by School Committee.
Mrs. Lebo
asked about advocacy, Ms. McGill said they urge parents to utilize the levels
of school and district staff before seeking outside assistance.
The last
item on the agenda was a review of the Items in Subcommittee. High School
inclusion was referred due to the difference in models between the two high
schools, this has been resolved so can be removed. For Significant Disproportionality, Ms.
Graham said that Quincy Public Schools is in monitored status, this can be
removed as it is updated as part of the PIP.
The DeCristofaro Special Education Learning Center project will be
retained.
Mrs. Cahill
made a motion to adjourn the Special Education Subcommittee meeting at 7:00
pm. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.