This newsletter is the second of a new, periodic series for school and special education leadership about all things connected to Special Education.  

We will provide resources and information for teachers and other school staff working with students with disabilities and their families. 

This issue has updates from OSSE, a webinar from OSEP and information about our upcoming series on Race and Special Education, and some great professional development opportunities.   Did you miss our first issue?  You can find it here .  

We also have resources for the families and students you serve.  For example, we recently put together a list of our most popular Spanish Language Resources for families , you can find them here  to share with your families who might be interested.  We also have information about accessing Mutual Aid, finding help with housing issues and mental health resources available during COVID-19.

Please let us know at information@aje-dc.org , what information would be most helpful to receive,  and please   .

Many DC Special Educators are familiar with both DCASE and MANSEF's work serving students with disabilities in nonpublic settings.  The two organization have collaborated for many years and have now merged.  MANSEF will have a dedicated staff member working as the DC nonpublic school liason focused on advocating for DC students served by MANSEF member schools.  See press release for more information.

We are excited to collaborate with the Juvenile & Special Education Law Clinic U.D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law on three important Lunch and Learns on the intersections of race and special education in DC.  

Please feel free to share this flier within your networks; the registration links are below.  

Special Education and Race - Existing Inequities, Disproportionalities and the Role of Trauma  | Tues., Aug. 4 | 12:00pm-1:30pm (ET) |  Registration link:  https://www.aje-dc.org/event/lunch-and-learn-special-education-and-race-existing-inequities-disproportionalities-and-the-role-of-trauma/ 

Special Education and Race - Personal Experiences, Myths and Misconceptions  | Tues., Aug. 11 | 12:00pm-1:30pm (ET) | Registration link:  https://www.aje-dc.org/event/lunch-and-learn-special-education-and-race-personal-experiences-myths-and-misconceptions/ 

How a Trauma-Responsive Approach to Special Education Can Mitigate Disproportionalities and Inequities  | Tues., Aug. 25 |  12:00pm-1:30pm (ET) |  Registration link:  https://www.aje-dc.org/event/lunch-and-learn-how-a-trauma-responsive-approach-to-special-education-can-mitigate-disproportionalities-and-inequities/

You can find all of our Lunch and Learns and other upcoming events on our online calendar.

Serving English Learners During Distance Learning: FAQs and Provisional Identification Procedure 

As a part of the District's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States, OSSE has released frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the responsibilities of states and LEAs to English learners (ELs) and their parents during extended school closures and remote learning, to accompany  guidance  issued by the US Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. OSSE has also released  Provisional Pre-K-12 EL Identification Procedure During Distance Learning .  LEAs  should use these FAQs as a reference when developing plans  for  serving EL students in the coming school year.  For  questions, please contact Jennifer Norton at  Jennifer.Norton@dc.gov .

On July 21, 2020, OSSE issued IDEA, Part B Provision of FAPE: Guidance Related to Remote and Blended Learning, available on OSSE's website .  This publication  contains guidance on LEA responsibilities under Part B of IDEA relating to the provision of free appropriate public education (FAPE) in instances where LEAs are required to close their doors or limit access to buildings because of a local or national emergency and transition to distance or blended learning models. Previously issued guidance related to the provision of IDEA Part B is consolidated throughout and is organized to be consistent with special education processes. This document also provides newly issued guidance on procedures related to IDEA Part B, specifically with regard to parent training as a related service, telehealth, homebound instruction and optional distance learning, and servings students who are medically fragile.   LEAs are encouraged to review this guidance to support their delivery of special education to students with disabilities during their transition to blended learning models for the 2020-21 school year.  For questions, please contact the Division of Systems and Supports, K-12 policy team at OSSE.DSEpolicy@dc.gov.

Early Childhood Transition (C-to-B Transition) FAQs 

OSSE has released the new   Early Childhood Transition Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) guidance addressing issues and  LEA  obligations related to children transitioning from IDEA Part C early intervention services (provided by DC Strong Start Early Intervention Program) to IDEA Part B preschool special education and related services. The document was developed through engagement with the Early Childhood Transition Working Group convened in 2019. The document  is intended to provide clarity to  LEAs  on obligations and processes associated with early childhood transition, also called "C-to-B transition", including responsibilities  for  transition conference meetings, initial evaluations, IEP development, and service provision.  For  questions, please contact the Division of Systems and Supports, K-12 policy team at  OSSE.DSEpolicy@dc.gov .

OSSE has begun to publish redacted State Complaint Letters of Decision

Redacted LODs for 2018 and 2019 can be found  here.

Transition planning for students is intended to prepare them for life after school - specifically further education/job training,  independent living and employment.

Knowing how and when to access medical care in the adult system is part of independent living, as is understanding your own medications and diagnosis.  However, we understand that many families and educators don't know how to support this transition to adult medical care systems as part of the secondary transition process.  

Thankfully, Got Transition, a project of The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health has created some great resources to help schools and families support students.  

• Health Care Transition readiness assessment for students with disabilities in English and in Spanish 
• Sample IEP Goals related the Health Care Transition 
• Family Toolkit on Health Care Transition 

You can find all these, and more, at the  Got Transition website.    

During this time, our staff remain available to assist and support families and professionals. Our team is working remotely and the office is closed, but we are available to talk with families via Zoom and other technologies.  

For assistance, please call 202-678-8060, and press 1 to reach our intake line where you will be connected 

t o the AJE Advocate of the Day.  You can also leave a detailed message there.  We are returning calls as soon as possible.  

You may also email us at information@aje-dc.org.

We have several new on-demand trainings for families  our Special Education Thursday webinars are still a great resource for families!

We also have resources there to help families support their student with a disability, including

• How to support a child's speech/language needs at home during COVID-19 and 
• How to encourage resilience.