The next Special Education Leaders’ Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 14th, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
The Zoom link for this meeting will be sent to Special Education Leaders in a separate email.
New Federal Special Education Guidance Letter - In Person Learning and COVID-19
The U.S. Department of Education recently released a new guidance letter from Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, with updates and resources to aid in efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools and ensure all students can safely learn in person. The document provides guidance for leveraging the IEP or Section 504 processes to ensure protections are in place to protect in-person learning, continued use of layered prevention strategies to keep school communities safe, and ensuring students receive education and services in the least restrictive environment.
Webinar for LEAs with a Determination of Needs Assistance (NA) or Needs Intervention (NI)
The Department is holding a technical assistance webinar on April 28, 2022 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, regarding Special Education Determinations. All districts are welcome; however, the webinar is required for LEAs that were determined to need assistance (NA) or need intervention (NI). Content will be targeted to special education directors and superintendents, or their designee(s). Topics will include additional information about how determinations were made, information regarding fiscal implications, initial support, and evidence-based practice (EBP) resources.
As mentioned at the March 11 Special Education Leader’s Meeting, there are free, printable AAC resources in Ukrainian and several key languages to support refugees from Ukraine in need of a quick way to communicate basic needs, feelings and medical information.
Free PD Institute for MA Early Childhood Educators
The Asperger/Autism Network (AANE) in partnership with DESE is offering a free professional development institute for early childhood educators titledEarly Identification and Supports for Young Children with Autism. This program is for all early childhood and pre-k special educators, directors, paraprofessionals, mental health, and related service providers (OT, PT, SLP) working in public schools in Massachusetts. As mentioned in our last update, there are two sections of this Institute, the second section will run from April 13, 2022throughJune 22, 2022. The institute will provide participants with the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the stages of development and the importance of routine screenings, as well as incorporate the tools from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MA Act Early. The format of the institute will include a mix of live class instruction, self-paced coursework, flexible one-on-one access to the course instructor, and an educator chat platform. Participants will earn 67.5 PDP’s and will be able to apply for 3 graduate creditsthat can be used to maintain or achieve their licensure. Enrollment for the second section began March 25, 2022 and will close on April 8, 2022.Click here to learn more or to register.
In Case You Missed It
Please help us communicate with you!
Visit District Profiles to check that your name and current email address are listed in your district’s directory. If the directory needs to be updated, please follow up with your district’s Directory Administrator.
