Special Education Committee

WCHS PTSA Special Education Committee

PTSA Conversation Series: WCHS Special Education Department: First Installment

Thank you for your comments and feedback on the WCHS Special Education Department.  Here’s our first installment of responses from WCHS administrators to your Special Education Department questions and concerns:

Question 1:

Meeting Scheduling:

• Why are parents provided just one time and date for the meeting?
• If I need to change the date of my IEP/504 meeting or move to a virtual meeting, whom do I contact?
• Why are meetings 45 minutes?

Answer:

One of our goals is to schedule meetings that allow for teacher participation with a minimum of missed class/instructional time.  This requires us to align with class periods and makes scheduling meetings more difficult.  In some cases (i.e. evaluations, reported concerns, etc.) we will double the scheduled time to plan for longer meetings.  But in most cases, we can complete the meeting in 45 minutes.

When we present a potential date to families – it is often after coordinating 5-7 staff member calendars.  We are happy to adjust and reschedule if the date and times don’t work for families, and have recently changed the language in the invitations to make this much clearer.  Parents can simply reach out to Ms. Kimberlyann Sam, or the case manager to let them know the meeting needs to be rescheduled, and should let their case manager how they plan to attend – in-person or virtually.  While we feel the meetings are more effective in-person, that doesn’t always work.

When we do not have the staff required for a meeting to move forward – it requires us to reschedule.  We have shared that we need to use more respectful and thoughtful language when we are forced to re-schedule.

Question 2:  What kind of frequency of communication should parents expect regarding their child receiving special education services?

Answer: At minimum, all students with IEPs will have a full annual review meeting each year to discuss progress and goals.  Over the course of the year, each family should receive introductory communications, and quarterly updates from their case manager, as well as communication from any service provider (OT, PT, Speech, etc.) and the Transition Services Teacher and staff.

Question 3:  What is the expected response time after a parent contacts a teacher or administrator by phone or email?

Answer:  The expectation is staff should respond within 48 hours to any communication or email.  We have been coaching teachers and staff to at least reply – even if they need to gather additional materials to fully respond, letting parents know when you will be able to have a complete answer to their concerns or questions.

Question 4:  All IEP meeting invitations go to junk mail.  Is this a known issue within MCPS, and can it be addressed?

Answer:  This is not necessarily universal, as we have asked parents, and not all of them have experienced this issue.  We are working with our IT to identify any potential fixes we can either do here, or share with families.

Question 5:  Are students required to attend their own IEP or 504 meetings?  Can parents request that their child not attend?

Answer:  No, students do not have to attend, but once they are high school age it is strongly recommended and can lead to improved understanding and better supports.  We work with many families to only have them attend specific portions to limit the impact of missing class, or possibly hearing sensitive information.  We are working to have all upperclassmen (11th and 12th grade) attend meeting at least partially.

Please check back under this graphic, in future newsletters, for more results of our discussions with WCHS Administration on the Special Education Department.  If you have any questions, please contact the WCHS PTSA Special Education Committee Chairs: Stacy Ganz Kahn (wchsptsa.specialed@gmail.com) or Kris Petrie (wchsptsa.speced2@gmail.com).