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Leander ISD Symposiums for Parents of Students with Special Needs

Summary Report

Introduction

On October 21, Copia Consulting LLC conducted a focus group with seven parents of students with special needs, two of which were also district employees. These parents were identified

and invited by the district to participate. The purpose of the focus group was to gather

information regarding successes, failures, concerns, needs and ideas for improvement as a

foundation for planning the parent symposiums that were scheduled for December 2019 and January 2020. The group of parents had children with special needs in elementary, middle and

high school, and diagnoses included Down's syndrome, learning disabilities, autism, physical

disabilities and mental health disorders.

The experiences both within the Leander district and others were quite varied among the

parents. Some were obviously angry and felt the need to engage in opposition with the

district. Others were complimentary, particularly about specific experiences with their

children. The primary takeaways, however, centered around the need for improvement in many arenas:

1. Communication between the District and parents is lacking, specifically related to the

rights of parents and students in terms of Special Education services.

2. It is the parents' perception that many/most of the general education teachers as well

as a number of SPED teachers are not trained well and thus not highly skilled in

customized instruction for students with special needs.

3. The knowledge among teachers and other school personnel about SPED services

varies significantly from campus to campus, as do the methodologies for everything

from communication to having ARD meetings. Not only is this potentially a risk for the

district, but it causes frustration among parents and makes transferring between

schools much more difficult.

4. A number of parents expressed the belief that district administrators responsible for

special education services labor under an outdated mindset which resulted in low

expectations for students with special needs. (Of note: leadership responsible for

Special Education Department services has changed since this project began.)

5. There is a common belief among parents and some teachers (also parents) that legal

and professional interventions are their only avenue to ensure that their students'

needs are met, and many say they have engaged attorneys, advocates, therapists, etc.,

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with mixed results. This is an important shift to make both in terms of organizational

culture and elevating the district's reputation related to the provision of special

education services, so that student needs are met through open communication

between the district and the parent community and that trust becomes the foundation

from which student needs are managed.

Despite all of the many issues expressed by parents, it is important to note that the overarching

desire was to create a true and authentic partnership between the district and parents of

students with special needs at all levels, with the end goal of providing the best education

possible for their children. It is with this in mind that we planned the Parent Symposium process.

The goal of the Parent Symposiums was to allow parents to engage and speak their minds about

the quality of education services their children have received through Leander ISD, to discuss any

common issues that arose from the conversations, and to develop solutions and

recommendations that would improve all aspects of Special Education services within the

District. Attendance was lower than anticipated; for example, 158 parents registered for the first

symposium in December 2019 and only 29 actually attended. There were 101 reservations for

the second symposium in January 2020, with 52 in attendance. Parents suggested that additional

reminders be sent out for future activities, particularly within 1-2 days of the event.

Parents were divided into small groups based on whether their children were in elementary,

middle or high school so that they could speak about similar issues, needs and corrective

measures.

Communication

Although there were several areas of concern that stood out among the discussions, by far the

most widespread issue is that of communication:

• communication to parents and students about their rights and responsibilities under

current federal law,

• communication to general education teachers about their responsibilities related to

students receiving special education services in their classrooms, and

• communication between teachers and parents regarding behavioral issues, progress and

needed supports.

Based on feedback from parents, it appears that there is a significant lack of consistency between

campuses in terms of policy and practice related to the provision of special education services.

Many parents also mentioned the withholding of information on the part of teachers and campus

leaders as it relates to incident reports being filed, mental health concerns, etc.

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This lack of communication has also contributed significantly to a lack of trust on the part of

parents. For example, a large portion of the parents participating in the symposium indicated

that it is fairly common for a student not to receive all services specified in their lEPs. Parents do

not feel that they have the information they need to participate in ARD meetings effectively, and

often are not informed about issues their child may be experiencing while at school.

This calls for district-wide initiatives to build and retain an organizational culture that is

represented by strong communication at all levels, transparency, and a foundational belief that

every student matters. One of the most popular ideas that emerged from the symposiums was

to establish a PTA group specifically for parents of students with special needs. This would offer

many advantages:

• Communication between the district and parents of students with special needs could be

more efficient through a dedicated network;

• Parents would have the opportunity to share their experiences and successful strategies

with each other, thus building a sense of community, and

• Teachers would have access to more information about the wants and needs of parents

in terms of communication.

Knowledge and Awareness

One of the other topics that emerged from the parent discussions was the fact that parents would

benefit tremendously from some very basic training focused on what schools can and cannot do

related to their child's needs - the laws, regulations and standards for the engagement of private

therapists, parents observing teachers and providing feedback, etc. It is also important to

educate parents about laws pertaining to things such as confidentiality regarding diagnoses, and

the fact that private therapists are not allowed in the classroom to observe their children.

Information should be distributed regularly regarding laws about who can come into classrooms,

who can be informed as to which students have special needs, and ways in which to work around

those points when the situation merits intervention.

Large knowledge gaps are common among parents and often among general education teachers

as well. This is in part due to a lack of access to information, as well as to the fact that the

emotional stress incurred through the process of having a student identified with special needs

often makes it difficult to absorb any information presented originally. The world of special

education involves many acronyms, resources, diagnosis-specific language and overall SPED

language that is not typically encountered. Parents need resource maps and guides to

successfully navigate the system at all levels, and parent education needs to be systematized as

well. For example, there should be different materials for parents engaging in special education

services for the first time, as well as for parents transitioning from elementary to middle school,

middle school to high school and high school to transition services, as each is different in many

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ways. Teachers also need additional training in the language of special education, inclusion

techniques and behavior management.

Lastly, one of the most contentious issues that arose from the symposium discussions was the

ARD process, inclusive of both pre-ARD and ARD meetings. Parents had a number of concerns

about the process:

Pre-ARD meetings frequently do not include the parents.

• Parents feel that they are unable to bring advocates or therapists with them to ARD

meetings, because when they do, the schools often bring attorneys. This is interpreted

as a defensive response. This is a critical area of the law for parents to understand, as the

ARD meeting lays the foundation for all services to be provided, and as also serves as the

point at which services may be negotiated.

• A number of parents mentioned that general education teachers rarely attend ARDs, and

when they do, they are often reluctant to speak. This may be another indicator that a

comprehensive training in SPED law and requirements would be very beneficial for

general education teachers.

• The role of the Parent Liaisons is not valued by the parents; in fact, there was not a single,

positive comment in either of the symposiums. It is likely that improvements in

communication and in educating staff and parents regarding special education

requirements might enhance the performance of parent liaisons, but this should be a key

position both in terms of compliance and in building relationships and trust.

• The differences in implementation of special education services across the various

campuses is an issue, particularly for families that transfer between two schools at the

same level. Establishing standards that are upheld across every campus is a critical step

in achieving compliance with federal laws, ensuring high quality services and building

trust and confidence among parents and students.

Recommendations

1. The first priority for the district should be forging relationships and alliances, i.e. building a

community of parents of children with special needs, their teachers and campus/district

leadership. This will need to involve leadership at every level of the district, beginning with

the Superintendent.

2. Communication practices must be overhauled; this is critical to success in #1 and to ongoing

success as improvement goals are set and met.

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3. All general education teachers should complete a basic, introductory training on working with

students with special needs, and then participate in specific trainings about managing specific

diagnoses and/or behavioral traits. Provide supplemental information that teachers can

access on their own via a hub or other centralized access point. Establishing co-planning time

for general education and special education teachers would also be very beneficial.

4. Obtain or develop materials for parents and teachers that provide information regarding

rights, laws and requirements, available services, vocabulary, descriptions of the ARD process

and desired outcomes, timelines, action steps if parent or child is dissatisfied, etc. This will

not only improve knowledge levels across the board but will contribute to improvements in

communication.

5. Establish the process of pre-ARD meetings, with the goal of informing parents and assigning

participants tasks/roles in preparation for the actual ARD. Ideally, the bulk of the time for the

ARD process should be allocated to the pre-ARD meetings, which would allow the ARD

meeting to be more about reviewing and signing documents. This would also relieve some

of the pressure and intimidation that parents feel when attending ARD meetings.

6. The ARD process should be re-designed at all levels, to include additional time for meetings,

more opportunities for parents and/or teachers to provide input or ask questions, the ability

to bring an advocate and more clarity for parents regarding terminology, rights, options, etc.

7. Establish a SPED parent PTA exclusively for parents of students with special needs. This could

also be an excellent vehicle for parent education regarding special education.

Conclusion

While this paper mentions a number of areas for improvement within both practices and

relationships, it is important to remember two things:

1. The district was well-intentioned and deliberately seeking feedback related to the desires

and opinions of parents of students with special needs.

2. The parents that attended the symposiums made it clear that they wanted the best for

their children and were willing to work with teachers and other personnel to achieve that.

When parents left the symposiums, we asked them to complete a brief exit ticket that would

provide information about their feelings as they left the symposium, as well as their biggest

takeaways from the session. The feelings noted were very positive overall - parents valued the

opportunity to come together and speak with their peers, and to share ideas and experiences.

Several stated that they felt very hopeful about the future and the upcoming changes on the part

of the District.

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Overwhelmingly, parents asked if they would receive copies of this report. We cannot help but

feel that part of the potential improvements hinge upon the first action steps taken by the district

in response to this report. In the spirit of transparency, sharing the report with parents and

teachers would indicate a true desire on the part of the district to improve in this arena and

would set the tone for working together towards common goals.

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