The State Office of Special Education has scheduled district audio conferences to be held from noon to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 21, on St. Thomas, and on Wednesday, Oct. 28, on St. Croix, at the respective conference rooms of the St. Thomas and St. Croix State Offices of Special Education, according to a press release from the V.I. Department of Education.
The first conference, presented by David Richards Esq., will discuss: Section 504: What’s New, What’s Changing and How You Should Respond? In addition to examining recent legal cases and trends, Richards will answer questions conference participants face every day, such as:
- What do you do when one student’s accommodation plan conflicts with another student’s plan?
- What is the school’s responsibility when the parents of nondisabled students complain about accommodations for students with disabilities and refuse to cooperate?
- How is Section 504 affected when parents withdraw consent for their child’s special education?
Who Should Attend? — special education directors, Section 504 coordinators, compliance coordinators, parents general and special education teachers, special education supervisors, principals and assistant principals, and counselors.
The second 90-minute interactive audio conference on Oct. 28, titled Building Positive Relationships to Prevent Drop-Out and Other Negative Outcomes and presented by Dr. Melissa Stormont, will focus on the factors that are associated with successfully transitioning into adulthood including staying in school through graduation, avoiding teenage pregnancy, remaining drug and alcohol free, and obtaining linkages to postsecondary education, living and employment. These tasks, says Stormont, are accomplished through learning the social and academic skills needed to successfully navigate life demands within and outside of school settings. For children and youth with disabilities, building positive relationships are integral in this process.
This tele-seminar will include specific examples of research-based strategies for enhancing students’ relationships with teachers and peers. Strategies for fostering collaborative relationships with families to enhance positive interactions at home will also be presented. Finally, the importance of outreach to specific groups of students with disabilities who have very negative outcomes, including youth who are in foster care and those who are homeless, will be discussed.
Attendees for this session should include: special education directors, transition specialists, IEP team leaders, school psychologists, general and special education teachers, principals and assistant principals, parents, counselors and special education supervisors.
Education’s State Director for Special Education Carrie Johns encourages all special education stakeholders to attend these important presentations. The St. Thomas Office is located at No. 210-3A Altona in the Frostco Building; the St. Croix Office is located at Estate Orange Grove, Bay 9 and 10, Building 2, Christiansted.
For more information, contact Truvia Plaskett on St. Thomas at 776-5802 or Eddie Parrilla on St. Croix at 719-7682.
