Parents of Children with Special Needs Need Special Skills
June 2022
AJE news, events, and resources to keep you stay informed!

AJE hopes that all our readers are safe and well. This newsletter has information about the post lottery application and different AJE projects that include opportunities for DC parents to receive a stipend!
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AJE Story Collection

We want to know how this school year has been for you and your child, please take a moment to ANONYMOUSLY share your experiences with Special Education this year.

We would also like to know if your child's disability has made it harder for them to access care outside of school - for example at recreation programs, camps, or at before and aftercare.
PAVE Parent Policy Summit

AJE will be attending and participating in the fourth-annual PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education) Parent Policy Summit and we invite you to join us! 

Parent Policy Summit and Resource Fair
Saturday, June 11th, 2022
 
LOCATION: KIPP DC College Preparatory PCS
1405 Brentwood Road NE, Washington, DC 20002
TIME: 9:00-10:00am: Resource Fair and Breakfast
10:00am - 2:00pm: Summit and Lunch

We will be participating in the Resource Fair, a time where you’ll meet with and learn about other DC-based community organizations with opportunities and resources available for your family. After the fair, you’ll join other parents and take part in powerful discussions and select policy issues to drive PAVE’s work! FREE breakfast, lunch, child care, and swag will be provided to all attendees! 

If you are interested in joining AJE and PAVE at the Summit, click here to register. If you are interested in learning more about the Summit, visit PAVE’s website or contact a member of their team: organizers@dcpave.org or (202) 677-9412. 

We hope to see you there! 
Thursday, June 16, 2022
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 
The DDC will require vaccination and a facemask to attend the in-person public meeting. If you or any stakeholder is not vaccinated but would like to participate, please register as virtual. Please confirm your attendance In-Person or Virtual and let us know if you need any accommodation. ASL and Spanish interpretation and captions via CART will be provided!
 
In-Person: Room #1114, 441 4th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001
 
This meeting is open to the public. To request reasonable accommodations, please contact Alison Whyte by email at alison.whyte@dc.gov or by phone/text at (202) 340-8563.
 
Mission: The DC Developmental Disabilities Council seeks to strengthen the voice of people with developmental disabilities and their families in DC in support of greater independence, inclusion, empowerment and the pursuit of life as they choose. We strive to create change that eliminates discrimination and removes barriers to full inclusion through our advocacy.


AJE's Parent Café Series
AJE is calling ALL parents of children with IEPs, 504 plans, or developmental concerns!

Join our parent-led conversation designed to empower families and
the community at large!

June 25th
10 am - 12 pm (ET)

Register today to join at bit.ly/AJECPC.

What is a Parent Café? Parent Cafés are physically and emotionally safe spaces where parents and caregivers talk about the challenges and victories of raising a family.

$25 gift card for participants per café.


What You Need To Know: OSSE- DOT
Community and Family Engagement Event – June 11th

Are you confused about transportation services and would like more information about it before the return to school? Below is an event hosted by OSSE and DOT Services about just that! You don’t want to miss out!

This school year has been one of many adjustments for all of us. In preparation for a return to school in the fall of 2022, OSSE DOT has committed to providing families with a better understanding of DOT operations, and to provide guidance that will support a smooth and seamless transition into the ’22-23 School year.

OSSE DOT will be hosting a community engagement event for prospective and current families to receive information on transportation services, speak directly with staff from various departments, explore the bus, and attend small workshops on various transportation process’ including bus safety. Additionally, we hope to have other agencies and organizations in attendance to offer information about other social services available to District residents.

This event will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at the Woody Ward Recreation Center. It will be open to families of students who are eligible for transportation services in the District as well as community members with an interest in our services. I have attached the event flyer for details.


What You Need To Know: OSSE
OSSE Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Changes to DC’s ESSA State Plan for Accountability:


For the last several months, OSSE has engaged with school leaders, teachers, families and stakeholders about updating our Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan for measuring and reporting school performance and accountability. In response to the extensive feedback we received, OSSE has published a draft of new school accountability system and is now opening it up to public comment from June 1 through July 8. In order to present a full picture of schools in our city, we encourage you to share your perspective through public comment and to share this opportunity with other stakeholders in your networks. 
 
The revisions to the accountability system prioritized the following goals:  
        
Improve equity
in measuring performance;  

Better reward growth,
both relative to starting point and/or compared to similar schools and more growth-focused metrics; and 
        
Strengthen measurement of priority areas: 

o   Gap closure for historically underserved students; 

o   College and career readiness; 

o   Students with disabilities; and 

o   Attendance. 

 
 Highlights of major proposed changes to the Accountability system: 

  • Improve the growth measurement for English Learners to better align with data and research related to language attainment; 

  • Increase the metric points for academic growth in elementary and middle schools resulting in academic progress being weighted three times as much as academic achievement; 

  • Add a measure of academic growth for high schools based on student growth in statewide assessments from one year to the next; 

  • Include a measure of Attendance Growth as well as Chronic Absenteeism for all schools; 

  • Add Dual Enrollment into the College Readiness metric which used to be only AP/IB Participation measures; 

  • Add five-year graduation rate into the accountability system for all high schools; 

  • Revise the student group weights applied to accountability calculations. Decreasing the weight on the “all students” score and increasing the weight on the relative performance of economically disadvantaged and each race/ethnicity is a major lever in reducing the association of accountability calculations with socio-economic levels; and 

  • Remove the star rating from the accountability system. There will be an overall calculation, but it will not result in a single summative rating. 

 
You can view the proposed ESSA state plan amendment on OSSE’s website.
 
The following documents outline the revised accountability system and the overall revisions made in the ESSA state plan. 


 
The final proposed changes will be posted on the website and reflect any revisions made as a result of public comment. The final accountability components of the plan will be presented to the State Board of Education (SBOE) in advance of their vote on the accountability system at their public meeting in July. Once approved by the SBOE, the ESSA state plan will be submitted to the US Department of Education for final approval. Implementation of the proposed changes would occur following the 2022-23 school year. 
 

The public comment period is open from June 1 through July 8.
Please send all public comments to dcschoolreportcard@dc.gov .  

Health Equity Project

If you live in Ward 1, 5, 7, or 8, we invite you to participate in our health equity project where you can receive up to $50 in gift cards! This is a parent-led advocacy effort to eliminate racial disparities and improve equitable access to health care for children and youth with disabilities and special healthcare needs in the District.

Vaccines

DC law and regulations require all schools in the District to verify student compliance with immunization requirements as part of enrollment and attendance. For more information about the District’s Immunization Attendance Policy, please visit the OSSE website or the DC Health Immunization Program website.

Earlier this year, the Council of the District of Columbia passed a COVID Vaccine requirement. You can read their statement about it here - https://dccouncil.us/student-covid-vaccine-mandate-ward-redistricting-receive-final-council-approval/ and we quote part of their statement below -

"As passed, the measure requires all students who are eligible to receive a fully-approved vaccine to be vaccinated by March 1. Enforcement of the measure, as is the case with all previously required vaccines, will counterbalance the need for a vaccinated student body with the necessity to have kids in school every day. Given that the COVID vaccine will be added to the battery of required vaccines mid-year, the enforcement protocol will not kick in for unvaccinated students until the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year"

AJE wants parents to know that their child may face exclusion from school if not fully vaccinated (including the COVID vaccination) next school year unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

Use vaccinate.dc.gov to make an appointment to get your child’s required immunizations at 37 sites across DC if your child is not up to date on all vaccines.

If you have questions about your rights, please call AJE at 202-678-8060.

Supporting Students' Health - Family Voices

AJE knows that many DC youth are struggling during this unique time. That is why we collaborate with and strongly support Family Voices; they are dedicated to achieving family-centered care for all children and youth with special health care needs.

They provide resources to help educate parents and children about COVID-19 and the ways in which they can stay safe during this time.

Check out their website: https://familyvoices.org/vaccineoutreachproject/ and you can also look for these hashtags on your social media for good information #FVVaccineOutreach and #WeCanDoThis.

Are you looking for resources on COVID vaccines for school communities? Educators, parents, administrators & students look here! https://www.schoolvaccinehub.org/.
Summer Referrals to Early Stages

The summer months are a time for many families to make decisions about where their children will attend school. A family’s enrollment decision may impact the Early Stages process for District children aged 2 years 8 months to 5 years 10 months.

  • Starting June 1, Early Stages will evaluate any DCPS-enrolled or pre-enrolled children referred during the summer months. Beginning on the first day of SY22-23, DCPS schools will resume responsibility for accepting referrals and evaluating their enrolled students.
  • For children who have already attended or are enrolling in a public charter school, Early Stages cannot evaluate or determine eligibility for special education services. We will transfer any referrals we receive for charter-enrolled children to their appropriate charter school.
  • Early Stages continues to provide developmental screenings and evaluations for any referred District child who attends a child care center or a private school or who is homeschooled or not yet enrolled.

As always, Early Stages is happy to answer any questions you might have. We look forward to hearing from you via email at info@earlystagesdc.org or phone at 202-698-8037.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
Refer a Child
Anyone may refer a child between the ages of 2 years 8 months and 5 years 10 months to Early Stages for a screening. Click here to refer to Early Stages. For younger children, click here to refer to Strong Start. For older children, contact the child’s school. If you have any questions about where to refer a child, call or email Early Stages, and we will point you in the right direction.

Learn with Early Stages
Early Stages offers free workshops on many early childhood topics. Individual professionals and parents/guardians may attend one of our public workshops. Visit Our Calendato view all upcoming public workshops. Professionals may also sign up as single attendees through OSSE’s DC Child Care Connections (DC CCC). Organizations interested in educating a team of professionals or a group of parents/ guardians may book a group workshop by emailing education@earlystagesdc.org. Visit Workshops to learn more about learning opportunities with Early Stages.

The Institute for Youth Development encourages youth development professionals in the District to participate in one of the upcoming workshops to learn new strategies that foster supportive environments for youth.


Register now! Space is limited. 


Resources from the Field

The OST Office is deeply saddened and hurt by the second mass shooting in less than two weeks. On Saturday, May 14, 2022, a racially motivated shooting targeting Black people took place in Buffalo, New York. This week, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, there was another shooting targeted elementary school students and faculty in Uvalde, Texas. The entire Learn24 network mourns with the victims’ families in Uvalde and Buffalo.
During this tough time, it may be difficult for youth, families, teachers, volunteers, and staff to process these tragic events. Below you will find a few resources to help navigate these difficult conversations and situations:


Mental health helplines:


  • The Crisis Text Line connects individuals to a trained crisis counselor for free, 24/7 crisis support via text message: text NAMI to 741741

  • The Disaster Distress Helpline is a 24/7 national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling (more info at National Institute of Mental Health): dial 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor

As the School Year concludes and summer programming begins, we wish for a safe and productive summer. 

Community Opportunities


On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, join the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and more than 40 companies, businesses, and organizations for an career fair at the RISE Demonstration Center. Individuals seeking employment opportunities should bring their resume and come professionally dressed. Learn more here
 

Sign up for summer camp reimagined with a focus on accelerated learning and specialized enrichment activities. Slots for youth 11-13 are still available for the following specialty camps:

  • Challenge Camp - exploration of the intersection of engineering, art, and technology.
  • Esports Camp - immersion into the world of competitive gaming.
  • Journalism Camp - exposure to digital media and the tracking of current events.
  • Robotics Camp - STEM-based camp with a focus on robotics and machine building.
  • Rocket Camp - STEM-based camp with a focus on flight and rocketry.

Learn more about enrollment here
June Wellness Wednesdays

Below are the DC Department of Behavioral Health Wellness Wednesday Flyers. Use the links below to navigate joining the workshops.
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About AJE:

Advocates for Justice and Education is the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center and the Health Information Center for DC. AJE seeks to empower families, youth, and the community to be effective advocates to ensure that children and youth, particularly those who have special needs, receive access to appropriate education and health services.
 
Our passion is empowering families by equipping parents and students with disabilities with the tools they need to be their own advocates.

Have questions? We are here to educate, advocate and empower. Contact us today!
Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.| (P) 202.678.8060 | (F) 202.678.8062 |

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