Office Hours for IDOE's Office of Special Education and IN*SOURCE - Each session will feature an informative presentation and then the speakers will respond to questions from the participants.

Presenter is Keith Butler from Indiana Disability Rights. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights law that protects qualified persons with disabilities from discrimination.  This presentation is not a complete recitation of the law, but only Section 504 as it applies to schools. Presentation will discuss Child Find, evaluation and re-evaluations, manifestation determination requirement for disciplinary change of placement and procedural safeguards requirements. This presentation is appropriate for parents of children with Section 504 plans, school staff, including Section 504 Coordinators and anyone who works with students with disabilities.

This is an informal Q & A session designed to help you get answers you need to best support our DCS involved youth.  Presented by Melaina Gant, Director, Education Services and ESSA Point of Contact for the Department of Child Services (DCS).

In preparation for this presentation, participants are strongly encouraged to view the presentation, "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) & Supporting Foster Youth as Students"

This presentation may be found on Moodle.  Moodle link to the course is copied below.  If you don't have an account, you can create one for free:

https://moodle.doe.in.gov/course/view.php?id=346

This presentation will review attendance legal guidelines, attendance expectations during covid, including new attendance codes, and will review Chronic Absenteeism as well as the free resources available on the IDOE website.  Lisa Truitt is the Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Wellness Specialist State Attendance Officer at the Indiana Department of Education.

A major intent of federal and state law in special education is to encourage positive working relationships between parents and schools. The use of effective communication techniques can enhance collaborative relationships and minimize conflict.  This presentation will address building positive relationships between parents and schools, verbal and nonverbal communication, types of communicators and strategies for building communication skills. 

In today's social climate, conversations about race seem inevitable.  Parents are challenged with deciding when and how to have these conversations.  Some parents may wonder, is there an age too young to talk about race?  Silence about race can reinforce racism by allowing children to draw their own conclusions. These conclusions are shaped by society and can lead to implicit bias.  Come learn strategies on identifying and minimizing implicit bias and leave equipped with tools to guide your discussion with children about race.  

Presented by: 

Redgina Hill, PhD   Founder & CEO   Redgina Hill Consulting, LLC

Resources described  during the presentation:

Anderson Cooper Kid's Talk on Race

What Kind of Asian Are You? - Microaggression video

Children's Books

IN*SOURCE conducted a live webinar with Dr. Nancy Holsapple, Indiana Director of Special Education and Lesa Paddack, Parent Liaison to the Indiana Department of Education and IN*SOURCE Regional Program Specialist Supervisor.

They discussed the opening of schools and supporting students when they re-enter school during the covid 19 pandemic.

The Presentation will begin with an overview of Article 7 and how we are legally bound to address AT for each student uniquely and annually. Next, the IIEP system will be examined, with specific attention to the exact places where AT is required to be addressed and concrete examples shared. Then, accommodations within the IEP will be focused on, giving special interest to the accommodations that directly address AT and are also a part of the statewide assessment accommodations. The session will end with planning for successful implementation of AT supports the Top 5-10 common pitfalls to avoid when addressing AT and testing and conclude with Q&A with the IDOE Assessment Accessibility Specialist.

This webinar is intended to understand what an Individualized Health Plan is, how to develop, who should be involved and how it can support a student in the school environment.