Masking can be a contentious issue for some folks.
Not for us! 
Here are some resources and articles if you are interested in learning more:

States w mandates 8/21

https://www.usnews.com/news/best

-states/articles/these-are-the-states-with-mask-mandates

Premise:Under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, public schools cannot exclude students with disabilities or segregate them unnecessarily from their peers. Schools are also required to provide reasonable modifications to allow students with disabilities to participate fully.

“By making schools a dangerous place for these students with disabilities, they are essentially forcing their parents to choose between their child’s education and their child’s health,” said Susan Mizner, director of the ACLU’s Disability Rights Project. “And that is going to exclude them from their public education.

Science is real  cdc https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/27/cdc-to-reverse-indoor-mask-policy-to-recommend-them-for-fully-vaccinated-people-in-covid-hot-spots.html

Massachusetts context   https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/2021-0825mask-requirement.pdf

"Effective immediately, public school students (age 5 and above) and staff in all grades are required to wear masks indoors in schools, except as noted below. Masks are not required when outdoors. All visitors are also expected to wear a mask in school buildings."

National context aclu case https://wtop.com/education/2021/08/aclu-seeks-halt-to-south-carolina-ban-on-school-mask-decrees/

ACLU case detail:

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/disability-rights-groups-challenge-south-carolina-ban-school-mask-mandates

Aclu original filing https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/disability-rights-south-carolina-v-mcmaster-complaint

Madese doc on masks

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If you are interested in some of the topics we discussed in this episode, here are some related links.


History of the Paralympic Movement

https://www.paralympic.org/ipc/history

Becca Meyers and the Paralympics

https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2021/08/03/becca-meyers-personal-care-attendant-tokyo-paralympics-aimee-christian

Special Olympics and the Paralympics - What’s the Difference?
https://www.specialolympics.com.au/Stories/special-olympics-paralympics-whats-the-difference

Paralympics Sports and Athletes to Watch

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/24/1030632463/tokyo-paralympic-sports-athletes-to-watch

Full Schedule of Paralympics Events

https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/paralympic-games/en/results/all-sports/paralympic-schedule.htm

Paralympic Opening Ceremonies

https://www.npr.org/live-updates/morning-edition-2021-08-24#badminton-and-taekwondo-make-their-paralympic-debut-in-tokyo

Team USA website

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2021/August/23/What-To-Watch-For-And-How-To-Watch-The-Paralympic-Games-Tokyo-2020

Learn More about the Athletes

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2021/August/21/History-Milestones-And-Medals-The-Team-USA-Paralympians-Leading-The-Way

First Gold Medal

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/25/sport/paralympics-tokyo-2020-day-1-intl-hnk-spt/index.html

First USA Medalist

https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/08/25/tokyo-paralympics-first-usa-medal-shawn-morelli/

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Person Centered Planning/Free Britney

Person-centered planning is a forum through which people join in intentional efforts to support, expand and deepen the direct and visible contribution a person with a disability makes to community life. It recognizes, embraces and celebrates the gifts of diversity and shared humanity. This ultimately leads to greater inclusion as valued members of both community and society. (Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute)

If you are interested in viewing the film mentioned in this episode, Intelligent Lives, click here for a link.

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And that's a wrap on Season 1! Thank you so much for listening and be on the look out for a trailer with highlights for Season 2....coming soon!

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In this episode, Robin, Angela  and Abby discuss the positives and negatives when it comes to special education evaluations. 

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Angela, Robin and Abby discuss the topic of Bullying and how it connects to special education. For more detail about the laws and regulations in Massachusetts check out these links:
 
Section 37O: School bullying prohibited; bullying prevention and intervention plans; reporting of bullying incident date

MADESE resources related to this topic

Evidence Based Programs, Curricula, and Practices (from MADESE website)

The law directs the Department to compile, post, and periodically update a list of bullying prevention and intervention resources, evidence-based curricula, best practices, and academic-based research. Please note that the list of programs and the links to other sites are provided as resources for schools and districts. School and district leaders have discretion to select evidence-based curricula and other resources that are not on the list. Local education officials should determine which bullying prevention curricula and strategies are most appropriate for each school and grade they oversee, taking into account students' developmental stages, community contexts, and other factors.

At no time should this list be considered exhaustive, as other evidence-based curricula, programs and practices may exist that are not posted here. In addition, evidence-based programs and practices that address school climate and culture, as well as students' social and emotional wellbeing, may not have been evaluated for bullying prevention effectiveness, but should be considered as part of a district's approach to creating safe and healthy learning environments.

• Al's Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices
• Bullying Prevention Program (Olweus)
• KiVA Antibullying Program
• Learning Together
• PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies)
• Peacebuilders
• Second Step

Resources that have identified evidence based bullying prevention and intervention efforts include (but are not necessarily limited to) the following:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Preventing Bullying |Violence Prevention Injury Center|CDC
• Cyberbullying Research Center - How to Identify, Prevent and Respond
• The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, Bullying/Cyberbullying | Safe Supportive Learning (ed.gov)
• Pacer Center, National Center for Bullying Prevention
• The University of Colorado Boulder, Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development

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Join Robin, Abby and Angela as they speak with Lateefah Frank, about the history of the METCO program and the over/under-representation of black and brown students in special education.

METCO is the largest and longest-running voluntary school desegregation program in the U.S. enrolling over 3,000 Boston-resident students in suburban public schools. 

Watch these videos to learn more about this program (from METCO Inc. website)
METCO: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
METCO : Limitless Opportunities 

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In this episode,  Mollie from NJ asks: why are there so many IEP objectives? And why are they so hard to measure?  

If you have questions or ideas for future episodes, please send an email to [email protected]

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Summer, summer, summertime....join Robin, Abby and Angela as they unpack the hot topic of extended school year services. 

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In this episode Angela, Robin and Abby speak with Dr. Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Professor of Education at Stonehill College, about disrupting the traditional model and creating revolutionary new teacher preparation programs.  

Please reach out to @ProfKeefe to learn more about the teacher survey mentioned in the podcast. 

Some of the acronyms used in the podcast:
AT- Assistive Technology
AAC- Augmentative/Alternative Communication
MTEL- Massachusetts Test for Educator License
MCAS- Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
CMR- Code of Massachusetts Regulations
SSAS- Student Support Access and Success Framework
Project SOLVE- Strategies and Opportunities for Leading Virtual Education

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