Washington Council of Administrators of Special Education
Join Washington CASE and Pacifica Law Group’s Carlos Chavez, on January 25 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, for a lunch & learn hot topic session about Dyslexia, recent decisions affecting case law, and Dyslexia in the state of Washington. This lunch & learn session will include a presentation of information and an opportunity to pose questions to Mr. Chavez.
The Arc of King County is hosting a panel discussion on Tuesday, January 24 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. All panelists have experienced restraint and isolation and will be sharing how it has affected them in their life, including as adults. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask panelists questions about their experiences.
In the newly released Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) January 2023 newsletter, Director Valerie C. Williams announced the Expect, Engage, and Empower: Successful Transitions for All! Initiative. This initiative aims to improve postsecondary outcomes for special education students and challenges the education and vocational rehabilitation systems to work together to ensure that these students have the knowledge, resources, and support services to make the best choices for their future. All OSEP grantees and any others who may be interested are invited to attend a virtual session, to be announced in the coming month. Additional updates in the director’s newsletter include: Guidance for Common Prior Approval Requests under IDEA Parts B and C; Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Webinar Series; Building Stronger Connections: Selecting High-Quality Evidenced-based Strategies for Safe, Healthy, and Supportive Schools, Part II; Building Stronger Connections: Professional Development and Training for All School Staff on Strategies for Safe, Healthy, and Supportive Schools; Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse; and Working Together to Support All Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities.
Join Washington CASE and Pacifica Law Group’s Carlos Chavez, on January 25 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, for a lunch & learn hot topic session about Dyslexia, recent decisions affecting case law, and Dyslexia in the state of Washington. This lunch & learn session will include a presentation of information and an opportunity to pose questions to Mr. Chavez.
Early yesterday morning, Congress released the text of a bipartisan spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the fiscal year which officially began on October 1. The massive year-end agreement, which includes appropriations as well as a wide range of additional priorities, is coming together just in the nick of time as Congress winds down the 117th session this week. READ MORE
On Thursday, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) released a report, “Unlocking Futures: Youth with Disabilities and the Juvenile Justice System.” The report argues that systemic failures such as the “school-to-prison pipeline” result in more youth with disabilities coming in contact with the juvenile justice system. Approximately 65-70 percent of justice-involved youth have a disability, and while data collected about incarcerated youth vary widely, it is estimated that 30-60 percent have disabilities. These statistics are even more disproportionate for the youth of color with disabilities. Involvement with the juvenile justice system has a damaging snowball effect on youth with disabilities- limited and poor quality education while incarcerated and violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) put youth far behind, and reentry to school is a major challenge. NCLD offers a variety of policy recommendations to address these issues, including that the U.S. Department of Education should update its guidance on requirements under IDEA for incarcerated youth with disabilities, strengthened oversight and enforcement; oversight from Congress; and federal, state, and local efforts to provide better community-level services for youth including diversion programs and mental health services.
OSEP Director, Valerie Williams is starting a series of blog posts that highlight challenges and opportunities while connecting stakeholders with OSEP resources. More information can be found on the OSEP website.
Washington CASE is soliciting nominations for executive board members and officers. Positions start July 1. The open positions include President, Secretary, CAN Coordinator, and Member-at-Large, each of which has a two-year term.
You are encouraged to nominate your peers (or yourself) but please contact them beforehand. We want everyone to feel welcomed and to be willing to grow our organization.
Many faculty aspired to a career in education because teaching, learning, and connecting with students brought joy. Yes, we recognized the work involved would be demanding. But we also got excited about the first day of class, spent inspired-hours crafting new learning activities, and smiled when students we met as first-years came back to connect when they neared graduation. Unfortunately, COVID-19, political unrest, climate change, and economic disruption has affected both us and students. Over the past semesters of teaching through the pandemic, the four of us ended each semester thinking, “That was the hardest semester we’ve ever had.” And now we’re anxious about what the next semester has in store. We hope, like us, you are looking for ways to thrive in these difficult conditions that are not going to change anytime soon. If so, we invite you to join us in taking the first steps towards joy, even if joy seems a long way off.
As parents and schools seek to support students’ social and emotional needs—and teach them what they need to learn—some education leaders are missing one particularly effective opportunity.
The U.S. Department of Education has offered guidance on how to help students navigate the stress and trauma of the pandemic and readjust to in-person schooling after long periods of closed schools. But as someone who studies recess in connection with child development, I couldn’t help but notice recess was missing from the federal guidance and from many local efforts to support students as the pandemic continues to unfold.