The Scoop
The Student Support Weekly Update - November 5, 2021
LPAC - Yes, it's for 3 year olds too!
As a recap from September 16th Scoop, students in Tomball ISD are required to compelete a Home Language Survey when they enroll for the first time. This survey may only be compeleted one time and may not be changed. If a language other than English is marked on the survey, the school will assess the student to determine his/her English proficiency. This should be done for all students enrolling for the first time including 3 year olds enrolling for Special Education Services.
For 3-5 year olds who are being assessed through Student Support for Special Education Services, student support will complete the evaluation and then the campus diagnostician (the campus in which the school based evaluation staff members are recommending programming) will connect the parent to the LPAC representative and the registrar. The parent, campus LPAC representative and registrar will then schedule a time prior to the initial ARD meeting to do pre-registration enrollment and conduct the LPAC evaluation.
Then the LPAC representative (pending eligibility of LPAC) will attend the ARD.
This process has been approved by the district level bilingual/EL director and specialists.
The flow chart has been updated with this addition.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lLYht0PRoIB0lFQ32edXr74i-QTCMdxBejI-EECQVIY/edit?usp=sharing
Please work with your campus LPAC representative to collaborate on this process.
Special Rodeo News!
FFA is buying shirts for all of the students and staff who attend Special Rodeo. If you are going to attend, or are planning on attending the Special Rodeo on January 26 and would like a tshirt, please email Kalli Wakefield kalliwakefield@tomballisd.net with your first and last name, campus, and size that you would like to order by December 10th.
National School Psychology Week November 8 - 12
Be sure and give your team or campus LSSP an extra special shout out next week!
Audio Recording Resource
If you are having difficulty with file max limits on your audio recordings to be uploaded into Frontline, please reach out to Eileen Garza. She has purchased a program that allows the recordings to be split up into segments
Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) from TEA
SSES gives a $1,500 one-time online grant to parents of eligible students served by special
education who are enrolled in a Texas public school. Families can use this money to purchase
educational goods and services for their student. If you are working with parents of students who may qualify for this support, please share this resource. You can find the flyer to print or electronically send to them HEREABC Meetings - Staying Aligned, Informed and Up with Best Practices!
It’s hard to believe we only have 5 more ABC weeks/meeting days left in the 1st semester!
Just a reminder, participation at an ABC meeting is required for all assessment staff at least once a semester. The ABC Meetings provide a wonderful opportunity for collaboration with team members, review of best practices, the ability to make sure we are aligned with our evaluation process, support with difficult analysis, summaries and reccommendations just to name a few. All of this results in best practices and positive outcomes for our students.
Make sure you are signing up for our Friday morning ABC Meetings! If you have any questions regarding this requirement or process, please contact Beth Darbe at bethdarbe@tomballisd.net
Avoid FAPE challenges, keep both eyes on pupil transportation plans
Avoid FAPE challenges, keep both eyes on pupil transportation plans
Communication is crucial in ensuring students with IEPs that include transportation receive FAPE despite ongoing staffing shortages, according to Betsey Helfrich, attorney and head of her own law office in St. Louis, Mo.
"Across the country, we're seeing a shortage of staffing," said Helfrich. "But schools are getting creative. I have some transportation directors that are actually driving routes right now to private placements."
Helfrich said districts may consider creative alternatives to a student's transportation plan if the current plan is not working out. If transportation is a related service in the student's IEP, the IEP team must make a change to avoid violating students' rights to FAPE. 34 CFR 300.34 ; 71 Fed. Reg. 46,576 (2006). She said there are clear indicators that an IEP team needs to be convened, such as when a student is late for school or missing instructional time.
"If you are amending the IEP, it is preferrable to have a team meeting; but number one is getting team input," she said. "You want to keep parents in the loop."
Helfrich offered the following considerations for addressing pupil transportation as a related service for students with IEPs:Read about them HERE.
Student Support Shout Outs!
Ashley Zbranek - is always professional even in the most difficult circumstances. Our students are so lucky to have such a caring speech pathologist. (from TMHS staff)
TISD Student Support (Add'l Support Ass. Team Developers) - " I really like the type of evaluation your team did to determine if a student warranted a 1:1 teaching assistant. It was good information about the student’s needs and important information for the parent to review... It is simple, yet effective."
Be sure and check out and read the other Smore Newsletters being produced by Student Support Staff: