The Scoop
Special Services Update - August 21, 2023
Communication, The Scoop & You!
Hello TISD Special Services #ShiningStars!!! We have the roles of a lifetime to make a difference in so many lives... I can't wait to see how your story plays out and and to see you #shine in your roles this school year!
The Scoop is a place for you to make sure you are in the know and have all the information you need. You are responsible for the information in the SCOOP. If you need clarification, please reach out to your Student Support Specialist or me.
~Keri
TEC Varsity Football Opportunity for Staff
Hello Team Tomball,
If you are interested in earning extra money and want to be part of Friday Night Lights at the Tomball ISD stadium please see the attached flyer.
There will be a Training Meeting on August 22, 2023, at the Tomball Event Center.
Homebound Teachers Needed!
We have some special education students beginning the year on Homebound without a teacher. Homebound teachers are compensated for 4 hours of instruction per week at their daily rate along with 1 hour of planning time per 2 hours of instruction. If you’re interested, please complete the Homebound Interest Form and Steve Shiels will reach out with possible opportunities.
Homebound services can be completed by a certified teacher employed by Tomball ISD after work hours for the compensation listed above.
Back to School Visual Supports
Link HERE
PLEASE remember to contact your student support specialist for all questions, concerns, or needs. Thank you in advance.
Student Support Personnel by Campus
Our Student Support Personnel are listed by campus on the link above. This will help ensure you know your student support specialist as well as other campus contacts.
October SNAPSHOT - Plan Now! October 27, 2023
Why is this important for you? Snapshot numbers are used for determining the funding from the state in many different data areas. One of which is the number of students being served in special education, their instructional settings, types of services as well as results driven accountability data.
We ask that any students needing initial evaluations within a few weeks after snapshot be moved up to have ARDs completed prior to snapshot so we are able to account for these students in funding and personnel need analysis. Also, please be mindful of any re-evaluations due prior to snapshot or students needing evaluations due to NCEC status and aging out of that eligibility.
Don't stop implementing IEP when bell rings.
Illinois attorney Brandon K. Wright explained that IEP implementation extends to afterschool, nonacademic, and extracurricular activities. Wright pointed out that while teachers assign homework, IEP teams must consider the student's needs during unstructured time. Ensure that the IEP is written to address the student's specific need outside the classroom, not what a hypothetical student with a hypothetical disability would need, he added.
LRP Copyright 2023
Technology Department Tips
Please see the latest edition of the Tomball Tech Tips and feel free to share this with your team.
CASE FILE: Parent's input not meaningful when PWN unclear about IEP team decisions
Case name:Enumclaw Sch. Dist., 123 LRP 17953 (SEA WA 04/11/23).
Ruling:The Washington Department of Education found that a district's deficient prior written notice denied the parent of a child with an other health impairment an opportunity to meaningfully participate in the IEP process in violation of state law and the IDEA. It also found that the district appropriately addressed the child's needs, materially implemented his IEP, and took appropriate steps to address bullying. The district was required to remedy the violation by providing staff training on parent participation and PWN.
What it means:Sometimes inadvertent procedural missteps, such as failing to adequately explain IEP team decisions in PWN, can result in noncompliance. Here, although the IEP team appropriately addressed a child's needs, the vague PWN made the intended services unclear to the parent. The parent didn't know whether the district intended to provide services to address her speech and occupational therapy concerns and, if so, how her concerns would be addressed. It also failed to explain the data it had collected regarding the child's OT needs to support its decision that additional testing wasn't necessary. Without that information, the parent couldn't fully and meaningfully provide input into IEP team decisions.
Summary:A Washington district will have to remedy its deficient PWN that denied the parent of a fourth-grader with OHI meaningful input in IEP decisions. The parent filed a state complaint alleging the district failed to respond to the child's potential speech and occupational therapy needs. The PWN recommended an informal look to see if additional OT testing was warranted, but it was unclear what, if any, data was gathered, the state ED noted. Although the district properly determined that additional speech or OT assessments were not needed at the time, the district violated the law with respect to parental participation and PWN requirements, the state ED found. The parents are expected to be equal participants in developing their child's IEP under the IDEA, it explained. They should play an active role, express their concerns, and provide critical information regarding the child's strengths and needs, it added. A district must provide PWN of its decisions, explaining why it proposes or refuses an action, options it considered, its reasons for rejecting options, and document that full consideration was given to parent input, the state ED noted. The district asserted that in-person conversations and an observation confirmed that there were no speech concerns and additional testing wasn't needed. But documentation didn't provide any firm context for those purported conversations, the state ED observed. It was clear the parent was confused regarding whether interventions were going to be pursued and whether a definitive decision was made, the state ED remarked. It pointed out that the PWN should have delineated what information it had gathered on the child's potential speech and OT needs and why it believed no additional assessments or revisions to the IEP were warranted. Had the district provided such a PWN, the parent would've been able to more fully participate in IEP team determinations, it explained.
August 14, 2023
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HERE is link to LRP Article
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Dates:
- Monday, September 4 - LABOR DAY, no school on this day.
- Friday, September 15 - Cross Talk at TEC. Breakfast at 8, Meeting 8:30 - Noon
- Check HERE for the rest of the year meetings for Special Services
Shout Outs
- Congratulations to Wendy Lewis on her new grandbaby, James Theodore Lewis, born at 11:56 on August 16, 2023. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and all are doing well!
- Shout out to our amazing team of Dr. Eileen Garza and Dr. Kim Marquardt who have taken exceptional care of our students requiring assistive listening devices to ensure appropriate fit, equipment and compatability so the first week of school would go smooth for ALL! You both are #ShingingStarsofSpecialServices
- Shout out to four diagnosticians from Dr. Howard: "I have been in IEP meetings with these four ladies, and all four run their IEP meetings slightly differently, but all have impressed me in their ability to take the time needed for parents to feel comfortable, while also continuing to keep the meetings running in an efficient manner. I have worked with both Rosmari and Oakes for several years, but was with Dawn last week and Gay this morning. These four nice and wonderful folks are also excellent diagnosticians!"
Social Media: Twitter
More Information
Be sure and check out and read the other Smore Newsletters being produced by Student Support Staff Soon (links are to end of year last year, but will update once school year starts):