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34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
July 23, 2019 • Richmond Marriott
34TH ANNUAL VSBA CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION MINI-WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS
Table of Contents
i
Workshop Presentations Page # Table # Administration, Personnel & Finance
Health Insurance to Health Care – The Captive Advantage 2 17 Benefit Plan Administrators: Chuck Clement
The ABC’s of Prescription Management 3 18 Benefit Plan Administrators: Morris Masinter Innovative Rx Strategies, LLC: Marissa Kaplan
Hot Topics in School Liability 4 11 VACORP: Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Lee Brannon
Aspiring Administrators Learning Series 5 8 Poquoson City: Dr. Antonia Fox
The Importance of the Board and Superintendent Working Together 7 23 Hampton City: Ann Cherry, Dr. Jeffery Smith
Curriculum & Instruction
Culturally Relevant Instruction 10 13 Chesterfield County: Dr. John B. Gordon III
Signature Performance Assessments as a Component of a Balanced Assessment Program 12 6 Goochland County: Dr. Stephen Geyer, Dr. Jeremy Raley
Learning From Passions That Connect, Not from Bells That Ring 13 26 Albemarle County: Dr. Kate Acuff, David Glover
School/Community Relations
Successfully Communicating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan
15 10 Chesterfield County: Dr. Mervin Daugherty
When the Community Does the Teaching 16 30 Albemarle County: Angela Stokes, Jonno Alcaro
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School Law
Page #
Table #
Top 5 Things Every School Board Member/Administrator Needs to Know About New Guidance on FERPA 18 1 Sands Anderson, PC: Bradford King, Nikki Cheuk
School Boards and the First Amendment: Five Things Every School Board Member Must Know 20 7 Haney Phinyowattanachip PLCC: Stacy Haney, Pakapon Phinyowattanachip
Restraint and Seclusion: Get a Hold of Virginia’s Proposed Regulatory Requirements 22 25 Reed Smith LLP: Jason Ballum, LaRana Owens
Students and Schools in Challenging Environments
The Culturally Responsive Framework 25 19 Prince William County: Maria Burgos
What’s in your Division’s Behavioral Treasure Chest? 26 28 Caroline County: Darlene Keener
The Unusual Evolution of an Anti-Racism Policy 28 27 Albemarle County: Dr. Bernard Hairston, Katrina Callsen
Opening the Gates: Practical and Philosophical Considerations for School and Division Personnel to Close the AP Equity Gap 29 12 Goochland County: Dr. Andrew Armstrong The Development of an Equity Policy 31 5 Mathews County: Dr. Bambi Thompson, John Priest Special Programs
Commit to Be Fit: A Three-Pronged Approach to Creating a Culture of Wellness 34 16 Rappahannock County: Jackie Tederick, Amanda Butler
Using Data to Support the Whole Child 36 3 Prince William County: Dr. Jennifer Coyne Cassata, Carolyn Custard
Engaging High School Students in Community Issues 38 4 Giles County: Ruth Brown
Building a Community of STEM with JASON Learning 39 21 Portsmouth City: Cardell Patillo JASON Learning: Dr. Eleanor Smalley
Fairfax County Public Schools Local Special Education Annual Plan and Report 40 20 Fairfax County: Lea M Skurpski, Jaqueline Y. Prentice
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Workforce Readiness Page # Table #
Dream, Explore, Create Your Own Path 42 29 Arlington County: Pam McClellan, Julia Burgos
Career Academy: Partnering with Community Businesses 43 9 Henry County: Monica Hatchett, Michael Minter Jr.
Marine Biology and Herpetology Center at Halifax County Middle School 44 14 Halifax County: Mary Helen Stafford, Nelson Baskervill
Career & Life Readiness for Middle School 46 24 Middlesex County: Elizabeth Sanders, Brittin Payne
Implementing Portrait of a Virginia Graduate: How to Get Started 47 22 Cumberland County: Dr. Elizabeth Jamerson, Dr. Chip Jones
CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day: Setting the Bar High! 49 2 Henrico County: Mac Beaton, Beverly Cocke
Pre-Employment Transition Services: A Resource to Local School Divisions 51 15 Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services: Jessica Stehle
34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
Administration, Personnel &
Finance
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Health Insurance to Health Care- The Captive Advantage
Benefit Plan Administrators: Chuck Clement
---No Handout Provided---
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The ABC’s of Prescription Management
Morris Masinter Marissa Kaplan President Vice President Client Relations Benefit Plan Administrators Innovative Rx Strategies, LLC [email protected] [email protected]
Purpose:
To review Prescription Benefits so that your school is maximizing the potential of benefit savings annually. Benefit Plan
Administrators has patterned Innovative Rx Strategies, LLC to deliver unmatched savings and detailed reporting of every
prescription filled within a given plan year. Your school will gain unrivaled pharmacy benefit management and legal experience,
along with negotiation strategies to scientifically lower pharmacy benefit costs.
Overview:
1. Advanced Utilization Management: Through Advanced Utilization Management, employees are guided towards a safer,
more cost-effective drug choice using clinically based criteria designed to ensure that each choice reflects; the right
patient, right drug, and the right amount. Advanced Utilization Management programs included the follow:
• Prior Authorization: ensures employees use the medication that is clinically appropriate for their condition Through
evidence-based authorization
• Step Therapy: encourages employees to use clinically effective, front-line medications before costly second-line
medications
• Drug Quantity Management: Promotes the appropriate quantity of medication dispensed by aligned with FDA-
approved dosing guidelines
2. Better Pharmacy Options: Smart90 is voluntarily and allows employees to gain a more convenient option for filling
prescriptions. Employees will be able to file a 90-day supply of maintenance medications at a preferred pharmacy and pay
less while doing so.
3. Control Over Specialty Drug Spend:
• SafeGuardRx: A suite of industry-first solutions, SafeGuardRx, is designed to protect your school’s interest by combattingrising drug costs and help ensure that important treatments and specialized care are available to employees who need it
• Accredo: Provides specialty focused care and monitoring that can help maximize effectiveness of medication to improvequality of life for school employees on specialty medications, who will benefit from enhanced care.
Take Away:
• Managing Pharmacy Benefits doesn’t have to be complex – Just remember the ABCs. Partner with BPA and Innovative RxStrategies today and take control of your school’s prescription benefit spend.
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“Hot Topics in School Liability”
Nancy A. Sullivan, Esquire Lee Brannon VACORP VACORP Legal Counsel School Specialist [email protected] [email protected]
Purpose To educate School Leaders on the types of claims School Divisions are experiencing and what School Divisions can do to help mitigate the losses.
Overview We will review generally the types of claims experienced by our Members (126 School Divisions and regional schools statewide) with an eye towards reducing frequency and severity. We will then look more closely at the top categories of losses, the problematic issues we’ve seen in litigation and what School Divisions can do to avoid these losses.
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Aspiring Administrators Learning Series
Antonia Fox, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Support Services Poquoson City Public Schools [email protected]
Purpose This program was developed in Poquoson City Public Schools to provide information for teachers and staff who were interested in leadership development or entering the field of school administration. It was open to those who currently hold an administrative endorsement, those who were in the process of getting an administrative endorsement and those who were considering getting an administrative endorsement.
Overview Many teachers and other staff may be curious about what school based or central office administrators do on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis. Some know they want to become licensed to serve as an administrators, others are seeking information before making a decisions and others are not sure. These sessions were developed to provide information so current teachers and staff could begin to make decisions about future educational opportunities. Three after-school, voluntary sessions with topics such as the role of the administrator, challenges and opportunities, expectations and the evaluation of school leaders, dealing with difficult people, case study discussions, developing your leadership resume, interview tips, and mock interviews.
Additionally, there was a Q&A session with sitting administrators, and discussions about pathways to administrative licensure and roles in education administration other than the principal and assistant principal. We anticipated having four or five people attend, but we ended up with over 20.
Impetus for Study
Poquoson City Public Schools is a small school division that believes we can grow leaders from within but also recognizes that we have to continually look for ways to cultivate those leaders into potential applicants for administrative positions through opportunities such as this series and other division-wide or school based experiences. After a series of interviews for various leadership positions within the division and after conversations with several teacher leaders as to what they felt they needed to be prepared to consider moving into an administrative position, the division developed this learning series.
Additionally, in March of 2017, the National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) stated:
Research shows that one out of every two principals is not retained beyond their third year of leading a school. School leaders who are retiring, transferring schools, or pursuing new opportunities within the education sector are not being replaced by enough qualified candidates. As a result, many school districts across the country report principal vacancies and a serious lack of qualified applicants to replace them. The demand for employment of elementary, middle, and high school principals will grow six percent nationwide by the year 2022 due to population increases. Many school districts across the country are facing a teacher and principal shortage that requires immediate attention and careful long-term planning.
(https://www.nassp.org/policy-advocacy-center/nassp-position-statements/principal-shortage/
Given the potential shortage in coming years and the small size of our division, we felt it was necessary to offer additional information to our current faculty and staff.
Continued on back
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Highlights
An information sheet with details and session dates was distributed to all staff
Participants registered online using a Google form
21 PCPS employees participated from a variety of grade levels
Three sessions were offeredo February, March and April of 2019o Each session was held from 4:00pm – 5:15pmo Agendas for each session are available
The Superintendent was present at each session to welcome staff and share information.
Current principals, assistant principals and directors supported the series by serving as panelists orconversation leads.
Several participants engaged in mock interviews and resume reviews
A feedback survey was given to participants with all participants agreeing that their time was well spentattending the sessions
o Participants encouraged us to continue to provide the Q&A time as it provided a “real-world”view from different administrators and first hand experiences’
o Comments of note: “I appreciated this opportunity!” “I loved the sessions and would have beenhappy to have a few more.” “I don’t think I would change anything. This is all new to me and itgave me great insight about leadership roles. It answered a lot of the questions and gave me abetter direction about where I want to go.”
Based on participant feedback, PCPS will offer similar sessions during the 2019-2020 school year forthose who may be interested.
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“The Importance of the Board and Superintendent Working Together”
Governance and the Day-to-Day Business of Teaching and Learning
Jeffery O. Smith, Ed.D. Mrs. Ann Cherry Superintendent Chairwoman Hampton City Schools Hampton City Schools [email protected] [email protected]
Purpose
This session will provide practical strategies employed by the school board as a governance body and the school division superintendent as a part of their working relationship within the organization. This session will also engage discussion around the importance of a unified commitment to these defined roles in order to yield exceptional outcomes for students.
Overview
At a time when communities are having thoughtful and courageous conversations about student success and achievement for all learners, the Hampton City School Board and the superintendent remain keenly aware and committed to working together in ways that will facilitate the business of teaching and learning. As such, the school board and superintendent have collaboratively developed and implemented best practices as a means of ensuring the mission of Every Child, Every Day, Whatever it Takes is realized by each student within the school division.
Essential Understandings and Considerations
As a part of the mini workshop roundtable discussions, each participant will explore the following essential considerations that the Hampton City School Board and superintendent have established and embraced as a framework to move the student achievement needle forward for all learners:
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1. Hiring the superintendent with the right skillset for your divisionand letting him/her lead the day-to-day work with the support of theboard
2. Spending quality time early in the board and superintendentrelationship establishing board/superintendent norms
3. Agreeing and remaining committed to the core business of the schooldivision
4. Engaging in the work of developing policies and best practices thatenable the mission of the organization to be accomplished
5. Ensuring the board has a conceptual framework of thesuperintendent’s leadership focus
6. Valuing and employing effective, open, two-way communications
7. Keeping the superintendent informed of board expectations and thesuperintendent ensuring the board is aware of progress toward andaccomplishments of strategic plan goals and other priorities
8. Collaborating with and adopting a budget that supports the schooldivision’s goals
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34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
Curriculum & Instruction
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Culturally Relevant Instruction
Dr. John B. Gordon III Chesterfield County Public School
Chief of Schools [email protected]
Purpose To provide strategies and insight into the importance of Culturally Relevant Instruction in the daily classroom setting. These practices can assist school divisions in closing the achievement gap, improving classroom management, increasing student engagement, and reducing disciplinary incidents than can lead to students missing instructional opportunities.
Overview In response to the development of the Chesterfield County School Board’s strategic plan, Imagine Tomorrow, instructional leaders at the administrative level have developed School Innovation and Improvement Plans that address closing the achievement gaps within reporting groups. Led by the Division of School Leadership, Equity, and Student Support Services, Chesterfield County Public Schools focused on an audit of staff and student demographics, student relevance in the curriculum, and using the lens of equity for resource allocation. Revisions to walkthrough observation forms and the development of SMARTE goals focused on the cultural relevance of instruction to students, and to increase student ownership of learning.
Background Chesterfield County Public Schools is a nationally recognized school division with high student achievement. The Chesterfield County School Board tasked Dr. Mervin Daugherty,
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Superintendent, with developing innovative strategies to close the achievement gap in several reporting groups including African-American, Hispanic, English Language Learners, and Students with Disabilities. The Division of School Leadership and the Division of Teaching and Learning worked closely with the Department of Human Resources to change the recruiting map for an increase in diverse candidates, to provide professional learning on Culturally Relevant Instruction and Equity in the Classroom, and to foster an increase in student-led education. This is the second year of an intense effort to remove barriers for students, eliminate implicit bias from staff, and to provide students with an innovative educational experience that is personalized based on their interest and needs.
Highlights Chesterfield County Public Schools Today Culturally Relevant Instruction Equity in the School Division Impact on Students, Staff, and School Communities
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Signature Performance Assessments as a Component of a Balanced Assessment Program
Goochland County: Dr. Stephen Geyer, Dr. Jeremy Raley
---No Handout Provided---
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Virginia School Board Association Conference on Education July 23, 2019 Learning from Passions that Connect, not from Bells that Ring In perfect synergy with Profile of a Virginia Graduate and recent instructional programming around project-based learning, Albemarle County Public Schools opened this year, a pilot high school experience that represented a radical change from conventional instructional models. The pilot for 21 students is expanding next year to 60 students and eventually 150. A second center, for 400 students, will open in 2021. Admission is open to all high school seniors in the school division. There are no bells to signal the end of one class and the beginning of another. Students earn credits through an interdisciplinary approach to the learning plan, based upon their individual passions and interests, that they design with teachers. Students and advisors decide on how grades are awarded. Rather than right or wrong test answers, assessments are based upon the development of such skills as creativity, critical thinking and analysis, problem-solving, teamwork and communication. One young lady at the center combined her interests in art and science to research and publish a book for patients at the University of Virginia’s Children’s Hospital, donating the funds to childhood disease research. She earned a presidential scholarship from the Rochester Institute of Technology, an award she credits to her experiences at the student center. The center is co-located in a business park, facilitating the availability of internships, mentors and job shadowing to students. The school technology department moved to the same facility to increase opportunities for professionals to work one-on-one with students on technology projects. School Board member, Dr. Katherine Acuff and the head of planning for Student Centers, Jeff Prillaman will discuss this unique approach, first year results and how future centers will be designed to create of division of 4,000 high school students instead of four high schools with 4,000 students.
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34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
School/ Community Relations
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Successfully Communicating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan
Dr. Mervin B. Daugherty
Chesterfield County Public Schools
Superintendent
Purpose
To examine the opportunities to communicate the school divisions strategic plan to staff
members, students, parents, business and community partners, and county residents. This
communication plan would provide strategies for implementation of the plan over a set time
period.
Overview
School districts throughout Virginia and the United States deal with the growing problem
of effectively communicating their school board approved strategic plan systemically in a way
that will provide clear understanding and awareness. Districts also become increasing frustrated
with the speed and effectiveness of the implementation of the strategic plan throughout the
system. This frustration continues over time to have the ability to measure student and staff
outcomes for academic and overall success. The information presented will provide experiences
learned and strategies developed through multiple implementations.
Agenda
Discussion will focus on a variety of communication strategies to effectively
communicate the districts strategic plan, as well as, provide ideas to implement the plan
throughout the school district. This will help with providing experiences in Virginia and other
states to systemically communicate and implement a strategic plan.
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Virginia School Board Association Conference on Education July 23, 2019 When the Community Does the Teaching As school divisions confront the challenges of closing opportunity and achievement gaps across all student demographic groups, an Albemarle County Public Schools pilot program is showing encouraging results. Its operating premise is that by equipping students with executive-level functioning capabilities, those on the edge of academic success can raise their performance. The program focused on the use of coaches from the community and the often difficult transition year between elementary and middle school. Those serving as academic and life coaches came from various walks of life, from the professional trades to businesses, from stay-at-home moms to retirees. A total of 24 coaches were hired to support 107 students for 18 weeks. Students were selected based on such criteria as having missed more than six days of school prior to November; having passed fewer than two SOL tests or placing within 50 points of passing the test. Eighty percent of the students came from economically disadvantaged homes Each week, the coaches worked one-on-one with students, their families and their teachers to strengthen relationships, confidence, organizational and study skills and the social and emotional development of students. Students were guided to set goals, identify conditions for goal fulfillment, to self-monitor and to reflect upon their experiences. In this session, the program’s academic leader and the Chair of the School Board will talk about program results, what they have learned about the most effective techniques and how this program fits within a larger strategy inventory to ensure the division meets its “All Means All” commitment to fulfill the highest potential of every student.
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34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
School Law
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Nicole S. Cheuk, Esq.
Bradford A. King, Esq.
Sands Anderson PC
P.O. Box 1998
Richmond, VA 23218-1998
(804) 648-1636
“TOP 5 THINGS EVERY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER/ADMINISTRATOR
NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT NEW GUIDANCE ON FERPA”
VSBA 2019 Conference on Education
July 23, 2019
A. Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act ("FERPA"), 20 USC 1232g; 34 CFRPart 99
a. Protects the privacy of student education records and the personally identifiableinformation (PII) contained therein, maintained by school division
i. "eligible student" – 18 years of age or enrolled in postsecondary institutionat any age, all rights under FERPA transfer from the parent to the student
ii. "education records" – Records, files, documents and other materials which(i) contain information directly related to a student and (ii) are maintained byan educational agency or institution or by a person acting for them
iii. "inspect and review" within 45 days of request – exceptions where copiesare required
iv. consent required, except…(34 CFR § 99.10) – directory information, schoolofficials, judicial order or subpoena, health and safety emergencies
b. Student Privacy Policy Office (formerly the Family Policy Compliance Office) –administers FERPA
c. PTAC – Privacy Technical Assistance Center – established by US DOE as aresource on data privacy, confidentiality, and security practices
i. https://studentprivacy.ed.govii. Provides training and guidance
B. February 2019 – "School Resource Officers, School Law Enforcement Units, andthe Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – Health and SafetyEmergencies K-12a. School Officials – teacher, school principal, attorney, human resources
professional, information system specialist, contractors, consultants, other thirdparties
b. Threat Assessment Team – are school officials so long as they perform aninstitutional service or function, under "direct control", subject to use and re-disclosure requirements, have legitimate educational interests
c. Law Enforcement Uniti. The term "education records" does not include records maintained by a law
enforcement unit that were created by that law enforcement unit for thepurpose of law enforcement
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1. Does not include records created and maintained for a non-lawenforcement purpose, such as disciplinary action or proceedingconducted by the educational agency or institution
d. Health or Safety Emergenciesi. Specific and articulable threat of a health or safety emergencyii. Impending natural disaster, terrorist attack, campus threatiii. Law enforcement, public health officials, trained medical personnel
e. Subpoenasi. Reasonable effort to notify parent or eligible student in advance of
compliancef. Personal Knowledge and Observation – FERPA does not prohibit a school official
from releasing information about a student that was obtained through the schoolofficial's personal knowledge or observation, rather than from a student's records
i. Information about student's behavior that an official personally observed
C. Other considerationsa. § 22.1-287.1 – Directory Information changesb. Bus Surveillance Video
i. Letter to Wachter December 2017:1. Video captured hazing incident involving 8 students ( 2 victims, 6
perpetrators)2. School maintained hall cameras, videos and statements3. Parents have right to view, not get copies (school's discretion) – get
parent's consent from parents of other students, if possible to do so4. You only have a right to your student's records5. Witness statements? Redact if possible (names, etc.) or get consent
from other parents or eligible studentsii. FAQ's on Photos and Videos Under FERPA – April 19, 2018
1. No FERPA violation if school "non-consensually" gives copies ofphotos/videos that are the record of multiple students
2. Can charge for copies3. Lawyer for parents can view it with parents4. Cannot give videos to policy if they are educational records, unless
health and safety emergency or subpoenaediii. Policy
1. State affirmatively that the footage is subject to FERPA if it recordsan incident that results in student discipline
2. Address what happens when the video includes information onmore than one student
3. Address how school division will respond to requests for copiesa. "inspect and review"b. FOIA – video surveillance that is not a student record
i. Subject to exemption?4. Notify drivers and parents of surveillance camera use5. Review policy every year6. New York Case – found that video outside of classrooms is not
generally considered an educational record containing studentinformation
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T (804) 500-0310 F (804) 500-0309
11 South 12th St. Suite 300 C Richmond, Virginia 23219
[email protected] www.haneyphinyo.com
School Boards and the First Amendment: Five Things Every School Board Member Must Know
Stacy Haney Pakapon Phinyowattanachip 804-500-0301 [email protected] [email protected]
I. The display of the Confederate flag is a form of expression protected by the FirstAmendment.
In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 508 (1969), the Court held that “undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression.” Rather, there must be actual disruption or a reasonable forecast of a substantial and material disruption. Id.
For example, in Hardwick v. Heyward, 711 F.3d 426 (4th Cir. 2013), the Fourth Circuit upheld the decision of school officials to prohibit students from displaying the Confederate only because there was extensive history of racial tensions in the school division. There was evidence that racial tensions stretched from the time of integration in 1970, to incidents in the 1980s and 1990s involving the attire depicting the Confederate flag and students displaying the actual flag, to incidents, including a class disruption, that occurred during the time of plaintiff’s attendance. “[T]hese incidents, some involving the Confederate flag and some not, demonstrate that continued racial tension exists in Latta Schools…. Although the incidents caused by the Confederate flag are enough on their own to justify the decision of the school officials to prohibit the Confederate flag shirts, when combined with other racially charged incidents, they provide overwhelming support for the conclusion that the Confederate flag shirts ‘would materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school.” Id. at 438.
Absent a material and substantial disruption or reasonable anticipation of one, the court likely would not uphold a ban on the display of the Confederate flag.
II. Your ability to regulate other people’s comments on and access to your social mediaaccounts may be limited by the First Amendment.
While social media is becoming ubiquitous for school board members to use as a communication tool with constituents, as late as 2018, there was not a clear-cut answer on whether social media constitutes public forum, subject to the First Amendment. In January 2019, however, the Fourth Circuit answered affirmatively, holding that the chair of a county board of supervisors engaged in viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment when she deleted a comment by and banned a county resident from posting on her Facebook page. Davison v. Randall, 912 F.3d 666 (4th Cir. 2019).
The chair’s Facebook, which she designated as a “government official” page, included the following message: “I really want to hear from ANY Loudoun citizen on ANY issues, request, criticism, complement or just your thoughts.” She also publicized the page on her official newsletter, which is prepared by county employees, hosted on the county’s website, and distributed using official county email. A resident criticized the chair and school board members about conflict of interest over financial transactions on the page. He also accused school board members of “taking kickback money. The chair deleted the post and banned the resident from posting on the page for approximately 12 hours.
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The Court held that the Facebook page constitutes “public forum,” subject to the First Amendment. Because it was a public forum, the Court held that the Chair violated the resident’s First Amendment rights when she deleted his comment and banned him from the page.
III. School officials can regulate student protests that are disruptive to the school environment.
As a general matter, a school may regulate student expression if there is actual disruption or reasonable forecast of a substantial and material disruption to the school environment. Thus, in a student-planned “sit-in” or “walkout” in protest of an issue or in support of a cause, school officials should consider whether the activity may lead to disruption of the school environment. Ordinarily multiple students leaving class or congregating on school grounds during school hours would generally be considered disruptive to the school environment and can be regulated.
Nevertheless, school officials should decide in advance whether to permit the activity at school. In light of the recent tragic mass-shootings, students across the country organized mass protests, and many school divisions permitted the students who wish to participate to do so in an orderly way. When making this decision, school officials should consider assigning appropriate staff to monitor the activity to ensure orderliness and be sure to remind staff to remain neutral about viewpoints being expressed by students. In addition, school officials must be careful not to engage in viewpoint discrimination. Thus, if a protest about a particular issue is permitted during school hours, students holding a different viewpoint on that issue must be treated the same.
IV. If a school board permits public comment during its meetings, it cannot enact a blanketprohibition on “personal attacks” but it can prohibit speech that disrupts the orderly conduct ofthe meeting.
When a school board permits public comment during a meeting, it creates a limited public forum. Any restrictions on speech in a limited public forum must be reasonable in light of the purpose of the forum and content-neutral.
A ban on “personal attacks” is not content-neutral because it is based on the viewpoint being expressed by the speaker. Therefore, a blanket prohibition on “personal attacks” during public comments is not permissible. School boards may, however, restrict speech that disrupts the orderly conduct of its public meetings. Accordingly, the school board may stop a speaker from making a personal attack if the personal attack causes, or is reasonably expected to cause, a disruption. See 2016 Op. Va. Att’y Gen. 161.
V. A school board can regulate off-campus speech by students if the speech causes, or isreasonably expected to cause, a substantial and material disruption to the school.
Generally, a school board can only discipline a student for speech (or other conduct) that occurred at school or while the student is going to and from school. However, if the student’s off-campus speech causes a substantial and material disruption at school, the school board can discipline the student. For example, in Kowalski v. Berkeley Count Schools, 652 F.3d 565 (4th Cir. 2011), a high school student created a social media page off school grounds referring to a classmate as a slut with herpes and inviting other students to join the group. The Fourth Circuit connected the off-campus speech to the school environment because of the defamatory nature of the speech that was aimed directly at a classmate and also noted that if the conduct went unpunished it would create a “snowballing effect” that could lead to future disruption. Accordingly, the court upheld the school official’s decision to punish the student.
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RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION
Get a Hold of Virginia’s Proposed Regulatory Requirements
Jason H. Ballum
LaRana J. Owens
REED SMITH LLP
901 East Byrd Street, Suite 1900
Richmond, VA 23219
Telephone: (804) 344-3400
Facsimile: (804) 344-3410
Twitter: @reedsmithedlaw
DEFINITIONS
A. Physical Restraint: “means a personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a student to
move freely. The term "physical restraint" does not include (i) briefly holding a student to calm or
comfort the student; (ii) holding a student's hand or arm to escort the student safely from one area to
another; or (iii) the use of incidental, minor, or reasonable physical contact or other actions designed to
maintain order and control.”
B. Seclusion: “means the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the
student is physically prevented from leaving. Provided that no such room or space is locked, the term
‘seclusion’ does not include (i) time-out, as defined in this chapter; (ii) in-school suspension; (iii)
detention; (iv) student-requested breaks in a different location in the room or in a separate room; (v)
removal of a student for a short period of time from the room or a separate area of the room to provide the
student with an opportunity to regain self-control, so long as the student is in a setting from which the
student is not physically prevented from leaving; (vi) removal of a student for disruptive behavior from a
classroom by the teacher as provided in § 22.1-276.2 of the Code of Virginia; or (vii) confinement of a
student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving during the
investigation and questioning of the student by school personnel regarding the student's knowledge of or
participation in events constituting a violation of the code of student conduct, such as a physical
altercation, or an incident involving drugs or weapons.”
PROHIBITED ACTIONS.
A. The use of “mechanical” and “pharmacological” restraints as well as “aversive stimuli” are prohibited.
B. The use of restraint or seclusion in a manner that restricts a student’s breathing or harms the student is
prohibited.
C. The use of physical restraint or seclusion as (i) punishment or discipline; (ii) a means of coercion or
retaliation; (iii) a convenience; or (iv) to prevent property damage is prohibited.
D. The use of corporal punishment is prohibited.
E. The use of seclusion rooms or freestanding units not meeting appropriate standards is prohibited.
F. The use of restraint or seclusion when medically or psychologically contraindicated as stated in
documentation by the IEP team, the student’s Section 504 team, school professionals, or by a licensed
physician, psychologist, or other qualified health professional under the scope of the professional’s
authority is generally prohibited.
USE OF PHYSICAL RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION
A. Restraint or seclusion may only be used when other interventions are or would be, in the reasonable
judgment of the particular school personnel implementing physical restraint or seclusion in an emergency
situation, ineffective and only to: (1) prevent a student from inflicting serious physical harm or injury to
self or others; (2) quell a disturbance or remove a student from the scene of a disturbance in which such
student’s behavior or damage to property threatens serious physical harm or injury to persons; (3) defend
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self or others from serious physical harm or injury; (4) obtain possession of controlled substances or
paraphernalia that are upon the person of the student or within the student’s control; or (5) obtain
possession of weapons or other dangerous objects that are upon the person of the student or within the
student’s control.
B. Physical restraint/seclusion must be discontinued as soon as the imminent risk of serious physical harm or
injury to self or others presented by the emergency situation has dissipated.
STANDARDS FOR USE OF SECLUSION
A. Any seclusion room or area must be free of any objects or physical features that may cause injury to the
student; have sufficient lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation to comport with the dignity and safety
of the student; windows constructed to minimize breakage and otherwise prevent the occupant from
harming himself; have all spaces in the seclusion room visible through the door, either directly or by
mirrors. School divisions must provide for the continuous monitoring of any seclusion, either by the
presence of school personnel in the seclusion room or area or observation by school personnel through a
window, viewing panel, or half-door.
NOTIFICATION
A. When a student has been physically restrained or secluded, school personnel involved in the incident must
report the incident to the school principal or designee as soon as possible by the end of the school day.
The school principal/designee or other personnel must make a reasonable effort to ensure direct contact is
made with the student’s parent.
B. As soon as practicable, but no later than two school days after an incident, school personnel involved
must complete and provide the principal or designee a written incident report. A copy of the report is to
be given to the parent within seven calendar days of the incident.
PREVENTION
A. Within ten days following the second school day in a school year in which a restraint/seclusion occurred,
the IEP or Section 504 team must meet. If the student involved in the incident has not been identified with
a disability, then a meeting must occur with the parent, principal/designee, school personnel involved in
the incident, and other appropriate school personnel.
B. The team must consider the need for a functional behavioral assessment, behavioral intervention plan,
new/revised behavioral goals, additional evaluations or re-evaluations.
POLICIES/PROCEDURES
A. Policies/Procedures are to include: (i) a statement encouraging the use of positive behavioral interventions
and supports; (ii) examples of positive behavioral interventions and supports; (iii) a description of training
for school personnel; (iv) a statement regarding when physical restraint and seclusion may be used; (v)
parent notification of incidents; (vi) expectations of documentation of use of restraint/seclusion; (vii)
requirement to carefully, continuously, and visually monitor students to ensure safety; and (viii)
requirement to secure a room in which the student is placed in seclusion and that the room/area meet
appropriate specifications.
TRAINING
A. All personnel must receive initial training.
B. Advanced training is required for select administrators and school personnel.
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34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
Students and Schools in
Challenging Environments
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“The Culturally Responsive Framework”
Maria D. Burgos Prince William County Public Schools Supervisor of Global Learning and Culturally Responsive Instruction [email protected] Purpose To examine Prince William County Public School’s accountability efforts to maximize student engagement and reduce the disparities in rates of school discipline across race and gender identities through culturally responsive instructional approach infused in all curricula studies. Overview In 2017-18, PWCS begin systemically raising the awareness of culturally responsive learning environments and the critical role these environments play in eliminating student achievement predictability and disparities in discipline by race, gender, and lower socio-economic backgrounds. While many factors contribute to racial discipline and achievement disparities, research shows a student-centered pedagogy focused on purposely connecting the social cultural references of all learners to academic knowledge reduces disparities in academic achievement and school discipline across race and gender identities. Impetus for Study Our culture affects how we think, communicate, problem solve, make decisions, and how we interpret the world, so it is the central component of both teaching and learning. Educators who lack cultural competency can potentially compromise learning centers in the brain and create unconscious distrust states of mind among students, increase student disengagement, and engage in higher incidents of discipline infractions in the areas of disrespect and inappropriate behaviors. Research publications from the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity suggest that having a sense of accountability through professional development, intention, attention, and monitoring data, schools can reduce the disparities in academic achievement and school discipline across race and gender identities. Join us as we review our implementation plan and discuss the critical steps to develop from cultural awareness to cultural proficiency as a Division. Highlights
• Historical timeline • Implementation of culturally responsive instruction framework • Implementation data • Next steps: strategies in action
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“What’s in Your Division’s Behavioral Treasure Chest?”
Darlene Keener, M.Ed
Caroline County Public Schools
Behavior Coordinator, Special Education
Purpose
Participants will gain a more sound understanding of using a multi-tiered approach to discipline, placing emphasis on the FBA/BIP process. Furthermore, participants will gain an understanding of how to more effectively use evidence-based best practices to overcome behavioral challenges and utilize staff, environment, and resources to effect behavior change.
Overview
Like so many other school districts in Virginia, Caroline County Public Schools (CCPS) is continually seeking ways to overcome a noticeable increase in negative behaviors, likely due to trauma, poverty, or other contributing factors which are significantly burdening our schools. In an effort to be as proactive as possible, CCPS is in its first year of implementation of the Virginia Tiered System of Supports and has also hired a Behavior Coordinator for the special needs and general education population to work intentionally with students, teachers, and schools in order to strengthen response to misbehavior and to increase use of best-practices at all three tiers of instruction and intervention. Come listen and receive “nuggets of treasure” for strengthening the supports and services that will increase positive behaviors.
Impetus for Study
Classroom observations are revealing that teachers, teacher teams, and administrators are not empowered with a cohesive understanding of how to design behavior management plans that flow through the tiers of intervention smoothly. In addition, data suggest we are not engaging quickly enough to gauge the need for supports. Too often, administrators and teachers are thinking that if a child needs more supports than the majority of the classroom, he/she should be considered for special education services. However, by learning effective data collection, proactive strategies, how to conduct appropriate functional behavioral assessments, and how to develop solid, in-depth behavior improvement plans, schools can reduce special education referrals due to disruptive behaviors, and increase opportunities for academic time on-task.
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Highlights
• Data collection tools • Lists of universal supports • Administration managed versus classroom managed behaviors • Environmental walk-thru guides • Ideas on how to develop behavior problem solving teams within your schools • Surface management techniques
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Virginia School Board Association Conference on Education July 23, 2019 The Unusual Evolution of an Anti-Racism Policy Following the Unite the Right Rally in August of 2017, issues around race relations became increasingly more visible at School Board meetings in Albemarle County. A protest group pressured the Board on a continual basis to take such actions as banning the wearing of any clothing depicting the Confederacy of associated messages. The Board’s reaction was that the first order of business should be the approval of an anti-racism policy. In an unusual step, the assistant superintendent for Community and School Empowerment recruited seven students from the division’s summer leadership academy to research and write a policy. Students began their work under the guidance of a University of Virginia facilitator in August and submitted a draft to the School Board in the fall. They also appeared at a School Board work session as they refined their the language of the policy and improved its implementation measures. The School Board adopted the policy in February, one of the relatively few anti-racism policies by a school division in Virginia. Among the student conclusions was that “Combating racism in our schools is a legal and moral imperative. There are significant disparities between racial groups in student academic performance, achievement, and participation in academic programs. These include disparities in graduation rates, gifted identification, course participation, special education identification, standardized test scores, and suspension rates. Disparities also exist between the racial demographics of the students in the Division and the staff the Division hires.” The assistant superintendent who led the project, Dr. Bernard Hairston and School Board member Katrina Callsen, will review their interaction with students, the policy development process, how the broader community was engaged and the policy itself.
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“Opening the Gates: Practical and Philosophical Considerations for School and Division Personnel to Close the AP Equity Gap”
Dr. Andrew R. Armstrong
Goochland County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations
Purpose To share key findings from a 2018 case study that utilized data collected in student and staff interviews on practices implemented by a diverse central Virginia high school, resulting in proportional enrollment in AP classes between its black and white students in the 2015-16 school year—a unique phenomenon among 38 central Virginia high schools. This case study was designed to understand why this phenomenon took place at this school and to give school personnel practical suggestions on how to improve equitable outcomes in high schools. Overview AP has evolved into an indicator of school quality, instructional rigor, and a consideration in the college admissions process. AP enrollment and exam performance outcomes for White students disproportionately surpass those for Black students. This study attempts to inform practice, policy, and programming toward more equitable enrollment outcomes for Black students through a single case study. The selected case school was the only high school among 38 in central Virginia serving a significant proportion of both Black and White students demonstrating proportional AP enrollment between the Black and White student populations. Evidence gathered in the single case study through interviews and document review was analyzed to answer the research question: how do school-level practices and policies influence proportional AP enrollment for Black and White students at a central Virginia high school? Impetus for Study As the College Board, school divisions, policymakers, and school-level administrators have supported the proliferation of AP and its value toward increasing rigor in high schools nationwide, equity in AP course enrollment and AP test performance for non-White students, particularly Black students, has emerged as a concern due to the consistently disproportionately low enrollment in AP courses for Black students compared to their White student counterparts. This phenomenon has been discussed and researched, with the College Board, school divisions, schools, and researchers providing recommendations through policy, school-level exemplars, and literature toward improving access, participation, and outcomes for Black students in AP enrollment. Literature suggests that school-based factors, to include school practice and policy, can improve equitable enrollment for Black students through improved
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curriculum in the form of greater quantity and variety of AP course offerings, enhanced teacher training with a focus on course content and better cultural awareness in instruction, improved student course recommendation and identification practices to enroll in AP, and improved family outreach and engagement, especially those efforts directed toward families of students of color. Highlights
• Course recommendation processes, teacher training, unique school-based programming, course scheduling, instructional techniques toward increased rigor, and parent outreach are among the most significant school-level factors distinguishing the case school in its achievement of equitable AP enrollment between Black and White students
• Those school-level factors must be administered, executed, and nurtured in a school characterized by positive and encouraging relationships among students, staff, and leadership.
• Equitable outcomes should become a clear feature and requirement of local, state, and federal policy to prompt school personnel to work toward equity between Black and White students in AP enrollment and in the various processes and outcomes within public education.
• Policies and practices should place an explicit premium on the power of relationships among stakeholders in each school in achieving equitable outcomes.
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The Development of an Equity Policy
Mathews County Public Schools
John Priest Bambi Thompson
Mathews County Public Schools Mathews County Public Schools
School Board Chair School Board Member
[email protected] [email protected]
Purpose:
The Mathews County School Board adopted an Equity Policy on February 19, 2019. This policy
was adopted to ensure equitable and fair educational opportunities for all students by allocating
resources fairly and equitably, providing diverse learning opportunities, and demonstrating the
commitment of equity and fairness across the school division.
Overview:
The Mathews County School Board recognized that to achieve its goal of becoming a model
rural division, it must improve achievement for all of its students, regardless of sex, gender,
gender identity, race, color, national origin, disability and/or gifted ability, religion, ancestry,
political affiliation, age, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any other
characteristics protected by law.
Impetus for Development of an Equity Policy:
The need for an equity policy is driven by the diversity within any school district. Each district is
unique in its diversity and requires a policy design for its own circumstances. The first step in
developing a policy is to determine how, in what ways, and to what extent a school district is
diverse. The second step is to determine what assets the school district must distribute
throughout the district. Thirdly, and most importantly, the assets must be distributed equitably,
not equally, so that each child gets the resources he or she needs to succeed.
Process for Development of an Equity Policy:
Step One:
Determine what is diverse within the district and to what extent. Some of the obvious things are
gender, race, and, disabilities both physical and academic. Fortunately, we have several laws that
help guide us in these areas, e.g. Titles I and IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil
Rights Act, just to mention a few. Some not so obvious diversities deal with sexual orientation or
identity, religious affiliation, economic status, social status based on the neighborhood in which
one lives, internet access, mental health, family structure, giftedness, and others.
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Step Two:
Determine what assets and resources are available to the district. It’s not terribly difficult to
determine monetarily available through your Federal, State, and local budget allocations totally
and by various titles. But what non-monetary assets do you have? What is the distribution of
teachers with regards to experience, certifications, abilities, and desires? How are the various
facilities utilized during school hours and outside of school hours? Is transportation equitably
distributed to minimize travel time to school and home? What students are in an internet “blind”
zone after school? Anything that affects the ability of one or a group of students to succeed over
another must be considered. Then it must be determined if the administration or school board has
any control over the disparity.
Step Three:
Distribution of resources and assets is a very fluid process at first and should be adjusted
throughout the fiscal year as much as possible. Trial and error will be at work initially but use the
requests and expertise from the various area managers to guide the initial distribution. Everyone
will advocate for their respective areas for resources, but a meeting of the minds may be what it
takes to begin implementation of a new policy. Use the previously written policies of other
school districts as a foundation for yours. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, but each policy
will be unique to that district.
Step Four:
Once the policy has been developed, approved, and implemented, the fun begins! The policy
must be monitored and evaluated as to its effectiveness. An equity team made up of essential
stakeholders will determine if and why some children are failing and if those failures are due to a
lack of or misdirection of resources. This team should annually report their findings to the school
board. Hopefully, any adjustments will be made at the administrative level and are not due to a
flaw in the basic policy. Confusing all of this, is the possibility that the diversity of the district’s
changes, as well as, the resources and ability to distribute those resources will undergo changes.
A copy of Mathews County’s newly developed Equity Policy will be available for
participants.
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34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
Special Programs
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“A Three-Pronged Approach to Creating a Culture of Wellness”
Jackie Tederick Amanda Butler Wellness Coordinator Nutritionist/Food Service Director Rappahannock County Public Schools Rappahannock County Public Schools [email protected] [email protected] Overview Commit to be Fit is a grant-funded school wellness program in a rural Virginia county that is geared towards creating a healthier culture in three key areas: cafeteria, classroom, and the community. Realizing that academic performance is strongly correlated to healthy minds and bodies, wellness and healthy lifestyles have become an integral part of our educational culture. Our 3 C’s - Promoting Wellness in 3 Key Areas: Cafeteria, Classroom, and Community Cafeteria: Commit to be Fit provides healthier food options including increased local foods in the school cafeterias while promoting nutrition education for students, parents, and community members. Classroom: Commit to be Fit promotes movement opportunities within the schools. We created an extensive database of classroom movement activities for educators. In addition, we offer an Action Based Learning lab in our elementary school (PreK-7th) and an alternative seating classroom in our high school (8th-12th).
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Community: Commit to be Fit is dedicated to inspiring and motivating school employees and community members to become actively engaged in a healthier lifestyle and serve as healthy role models for the next generation. We offer free wellness contests, challenges, fitness classes, workshops, and family events. Strategies for Wellness Implementation: -Justify the “why” -Identify your greatest needs -Assemble your health team: school admin, school staff, student clubs, parent volunteers, etc. -Be inclusive in decision making -Create partnerships -Be consistent. Small steps to systemic change Let Us Assist You! Commit to be Fit is available for presentations, professional development training, and consultation. Contact us today to assist in your school division.
www.rappc2bf.com
@rappc2bf
@rappc2bf
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“Using Data to Support the Whole Child”
VSBA Summer Conference 2019
Dr. Jennifer Coyne Cassata Carolyn Custard
Director of Accountability Director of Student Services
Prince William County Public Schools Prince William County Public Schools
[email protected] [email protected]
Background
As part of the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Department of Student Learning
and Accountability’s commitment to coordinating services provided to schools by offices within
the department, the Offices of Accountability and Student Services have collaborated to support
the implementation of multidisciplinary teams at schools supporting the whole child by
providing access to data about many aspects of students’ experiences through an On-Track
Report that notes risk factors. School Counselors, School Social Workers, Attendance Officers
and School Nurses strive to support the well-being of our students. Since these groups often
overlap and interact with the same students, it prompts the need for effective collaboration and
sharing of information. This partnership (training staff on how to access and use shared data)
decreases fragmentation of services, improves the utilization of resources, and establishes care
that promotes mental and physical health to support improving academic performance.
Comprehensive Student Data
The PWCS Office of Accountability manages an electronic data warehouse called the Data
Analysis and Reporting Tool (DART). DART contains multiple types of student data, including
student performance data (test results, course grades, etc.), program participation data,
enrollment data, behavior data, attendance data, and more. One of the most popular reports with
schools and central-office staff is the On-Track Report, which provides a variety of information
about students in one place, helping school staff identify students at risk of being “off-track” for
graduation or progression through school. The report flags students with different risk factors,
including retention, course failures, excessive absences, discipline referrals, days of suspension,
failing SOL scores, and lack of verified credits (high school only). Students are grouped by their
identified school counselor for support and intervention.
Schools have been using these reports since their inception to help target remediation and
support efforts for incoming students (particularly those entering middle or high school) as well
as to follow along throughout the year.
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Providing Access to Multidisciplinary Teams
Initially, these reports were used most frequently by school administrators and teachers,
especially directors of school counseling. In recent years, the Office of Student Services has
requested training for school counselors, school social workers, attendance officers and school
nurses so they can have access to these reports. Each of these professionals is part of the
multidisciplinary team at schools that is supporting students, and each has a different lens
through which they look at the data. When these professionals collaborate with instructional staff
and share their perspectives, a more complete understanding of an individual student can be
gleaned. Their experiences with students, especially in the area of mental health, are critical
pieces in providing the appropriate interventions.
The response from counselors, social workers, attendance officers, and nurses to the training has
been extremely positive. The response from school leaders has also been positive since more
people are now on the same page.
Highlights
• Roundtable participants will see examples of the On-Track Report and hear anecdotes of
how the reports are used at schools.
• The training model will be discussed, including how to manage a balance between access
to information and protecting student privacy.
• Next steps will also be discussed, most notably how the information from these reports
can be aggregated to understand prevailing risk factors at different grade levels and/or
different schools.
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Engaging High School Students in Community Issues
Ruth Brown Giles County Public Schools Senior at Giles High School [email protected]
Purpose Y Street is the largest youth-led volunteer movement for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Training hundreds of youth annually to work towards the ultimate goal of creating a healthier Virginia through partnering with schools and school divisions on healthy initiatives. Come hear about one youth’s experience of being apart of this movement that has opened doors for her personal developments through educating her peers, adults, and community.
Overview Y Street is a program of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s award-winning volunteer initiative for high school students. Since 2004, more than 8,000 youth have been trained as advocates. These advocates, called Y-Sters, work to promote healthy Virginia by fighting for policies that help communities make healthy choices and be tobacco-free.
The 24/7 Campaign worked to help Virginia school divisions adopt, implement, and enforce 100% comprehensive tobacco and e-cigarette-free policies. As part of the 24/7 Campaign, Y-Sters:
• Collected school-based assessments that inform principals about how welltheir tobacco policies are being communicated and enforced.
• Met with principals and presented to school boards to encourage schools anddivisions to adopt 100% tobacco and e-cigarette-free policies and to offerfree resources such as tobacco-free signs and implementation toolkits.
• Held events in their own schools and neighboring schools to raise awarenessabout the school’s tobacco-free environment and engage the schoolcommunity in conversations about the importance of tobacco-free schools.
After 4 years of dedicated work by youth across the commonwealth, the culminating success was achieved with the passing of SB 1295 and HB 2384 making all schools tobacco and e-cigarette free by July 1, 2019.
Highlights - What is Y Street- What makes Y Street unique- Why engaging youth on these issues work- Y Street in Practice: the 24/7 Campaign- Partnering with school divisions for change- My Experience: insights from a current Y-Ster
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Building a Community of STEM with JASON Learning
Portsmouth City: Cardell Patillo JASON Learning: Dr. Eleanor Smalley
---No Handout Provided---
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Fairfax County Public Schools Local Special Education Annual Plan and Report Presenters: Lea M. Skurpski Jacqueline Y. Prentice Fairfax County Public Schools Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Special Services Department of Special Services Director of Operations and Strategic Planning Coordinator, Financial Management [email protected] [email protected] Purpose: The Special Education Annual Plan formalizes the agreement between Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for implementing federal and state laws and regulations that govern special education programs. Each division is required to certify their local plan by attesting to the development of local policies, procedures, and funding for the provision of special education programs. This presentation will provide background and insight on the process and procedures taken by FCPS to ensure equitable special education compliance. Overview: Each local educational agency (LEA) including school divisions, state-operated programs and the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind at Staunton, is required by state and federal law to submit an annual plan to the VDOE for providing special education services to identified children with disabilities residing within the jurisdiction and demonstrate their funding eligibility.
Under Provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), its implementing regulations, and the Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia (effective January 25, 2010), LEAs are required to submit an Annual Plan/Part B Flow-Through Application for providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. The Special Education Annual Plan/Part B Flow-Through Application serves as the formal agreement between a local school board and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for implementing federal and state laws and regulations governing these services. Accordingly, the disbursement of state and federal funds appropriated for the education of children with disabilities is contingent upon the approval of this plan and each of its components.
Completion of the required certifications and assurances sections of the Annual Plan/Part B Flow-Through Application verifies adherence to the requirements of IDEA 2004, its implementing regulations, and the Virginia special education regulations.
The application includes the following required components: • The Superintendent's Certification • Policy Statements • Statement of Assurances • Special Education in Local and Regional Jails • The Report on the Implementation of the 2017-2018 Plan • Maintenance of Effort Eligibility • Coordinated Early Intervening Services and Proportionate Set-Aside • The Application for Use of Federal Funds for Sections 611 and 619
Highlights: The Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Department of Special Services, completed the Local Special Education Annual Plan and Report for SY 19-20. Prior to submission to VDOE, the Annual Plan/Part B Flow-Through Application was reviewed with the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) and submitted to the Fairfax County School Board for approval. The FCPS plan and process will be shared during this presentation.
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34th Annual VSBA Conference on Education
Workforce Readiness
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Dream, Explore, Create Your Own Path Arlington Public Schools Julia Burgos, Chief of Staff [email protected] Pam McClellan, Supervisor, Counseling Services [email protected]
Background Arlington Public Schools values the engagement of families in course selection and the academic planning process and made that value operational through the development of Aspire2Excellence (A2E). A2E was designed as an intentional way that APS would prepare families to participate fully in course selection and academic advising by increasing their knowledge of the course content progression from K through 12. We encourage families to participate in the academic planning process and endeavor to help them advise - and advocate for - their students. Dream, Explore, Create Your Own Path was created as the Superintendent’s signature event for families; our goal was to reinforce the message of individualizing academic planning through the lens of career self-awareness and career exploration and to provide a valued added experience for students and families. Dream, Explore, Create Your Own Path Arlington Public Schools created the Dream, Explore, Create Your Own Path event to celebrate student choice in educational and career pathways. For three years, our approach was to select career clusters within the 16 identified by the U.S. Department of Labor. Each year, we highlighted three to four different career clusters and held a conference style Saturday family event with internal and community partners presenting jobs within those clusters. The event was highly interactive and well attended. To demonstrate process, as well as content, we began the event with school counselors sitting at roundtables engaging students and families in career self-awareness activities before students chose the career clusters/sessions they wished to explore.
During the event, we also held corollary parent sessions on: “How to Career Coach Your Student,” “How to Manage Your Social Media presence,” as well as other informative opportunities for parents/guardians. In our fourth year, we modified our program to give our secondary students concrete examples of the 5 C’s in the Profile of a Virginia Graduate: Citizenship, Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking. For example, to engage them in Critical Thinking we used an Escape Room exercise. For a full sense of the day’s activities, click here to review the program.
The event continues to be a highlight of the year and a popular event among our families. For more information on the specifics of logistics and format, we are happy to provide additional details or visit our event website at https://www.apsva.us/createurpath/.
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Career Academy: Partnering with Community Businesses
Monica Hatchett Henry County Public Schools Director of Communications [email protected]
Michael Minter, Jr. Henry County Public Schools Director of Assessment & Career Academy [email protected]
Purpose To support student growth through practical community partnerships. Overview As we explored ways to make student learning meaningful in the area of Career and Technical Education, our team worked to develop partnerships with local businesses to provide learners with a diverse portfolio of practical experiences while they prepare for the future. The partnerships have evolved from simple donations to the school all the way to our first National Signing Day, during which students signed contracts for careers with several local businesses. Impetus Because we know that all students do not choose the same path to a career, it is our priority to prepare each of them for the steps they will take post-graduation. Students at Henry County’s Career Academy could simply receive the traditional CTE training that has always been offered, but it has been our staff’s goal to make their learning as relevant for the future as possible. Highlights
• How we made connections • How the partnerships work – benefits for students and the businesses • What we’ve discovered • Expansion for the future
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Marine Biology and Herpetology Center at Halifax County Middle School
Dr. Mark Lineburg Halifax Co. PS Superintendent
Magie Wilkerson Halifax Co. MS Principal
Frank Shealy Halifax Co. HS Asst. Principal [email protected]
Nelson Baskervill 8th Grade Science
Mary Helen Stafford 6th Grade Science
Purpose: The Marine Biology and Herpetology Center at Halifax County Middle School allows students to gain hands-on experience with a variety of organisms in order to bridge the gaps between all sixth, seventh, and eighth grade sciences. The Center unites curriculum from all levels of instruction. Ecosystems, chemistry, biology, food chains, plant and animal anatomy, classification, genetics, evolution, and many more classroom topics are enhanced with hands on experiences gained through use of the Science Center. These meaningful experiences and real world applications of science are being used to bolster student learning and test scores. The Center has created a renewed excitement to science that can be seen and felt each time students enter the Center. Overview: The Marine Biology and Herpetology Center is located at Halifax County Middle School and is one of only two in the state of Virginia. Over 30 species are maintained for hands-on activities including lizards, snakes, turtles, and invertebrates, as well as two saltwater touch tanks. All of the organisms are taken care of by middle and high school students, which gives them ownership over the Center and their learning. From Kindergarten through 12th grade, the Center focuses on at least four major science SOL strands and therefore, the Center is open to all students in the district, as well as the community. Student ambassadors from the middle school lead classes through the Center, focusing specifically on their teacher’s targeted learning goal. This allows students to see, touch, and feel their way through science, make real-world connections, and truly interact with what they are learning to gain a deeper understanding. Impetus for Study: Students nationwide have become increasingly unaware of and detached from their surroundings, often spending more time inside than out in the natural world. Although we live in a rural area, our students lack knowledge of many natural phenomena topics including how ecosystems function and are intertwined with every aspect of human life. The HCMS Science Center hopes to fill that void for students in Halifax County by providing hands-on science activities in an easily accessible setting. Multiple studies have shown that when you combine activities that require movement, talking, and listening, it activates multiple areas of the brain and, "The more parts of your brain you use, the more likely you are to retain information," Judy Dodge, author of 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom (Scholastic, 2009).
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Highlights:
● Investigation of a variety of animal species ● Technology used to keep the Center running ● Hands-on experiences reach more students and aid in information retention ● Curriculum enhancement opportunities for all K-12 sciences ● 2018-19 achievement on the Science 8 SOL assessment is at a 5 year high after first year in operation ● Short term goals for Center expansion/improvement ● Long term goals for the Center
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Career and Life Readiness for Middle School
Brittin Payne St. Clare Walker Middle School Middlesex County Public Schools Career and Life Readiness Teacher [email protected]
Elizabeth Sanders St. Clare Walker Middle School
Middlesex County Public Schools Principal
Purpose To create an opportunity for all St. Clare Walker Middle School students to develop career and life readiness skills needed to be a successful citizen. Overview Students are enrolled in career and life readiness for twelve weeks during each of their three years while at St. Clare Walker Middle School. The course focuses on developing skills students need as they continue through middle and high school and then enter either college or the workforce. Students work both individually and collaboratively throughout the course to complete assignments. Oral presentations are also a requirement for the class- developing confidence and effectiveness in communication skills Impetus After revisions were made to the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools or Standards of Accreditation, middle schools are now required to provide a course in career investigations. After much thought and consideration, it was determined a stand alone course offered to all students would be the most beneficial and effective way to meet those requirements. Highlights
● Google Classroom is used as the main platform for student assignments. ● Major assignments and projects include:
○ SMART Goals ■ Short term and long term goals presented through vision boards
○ College Exploration ■ Researching tuition, degrees offered, student activities for both national
and international colleges and universities ○ Career Exploration
■ Based on the sixteen career clusters, students chose three careers for each cluster and researched educational requirements, salary, working conditions, advantages/disadvantages
○ Budgeting ■ Meal and trip planning
● Fixed budget with specific requirements ● Students present their individual and group projects to their teacher and peers.
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“Implementing Portrait of a Virginia Graduate: How to Get Started”
Dr. Elizabeth Jamerson Dr. Chip Jones
Cumberland County Public Schools Cumberland County Public Schools
Director of Human Resources Assistant Superintendent
[email protected] [email protected]
Purpose:
To provide an outline to assist schools as they implement the Virginia Department of
Education Portrait of a Virginia Graduate.
Overview:
The Profile of a Virginia Graduate initiative highlights the importance of providing
students with the knowledge and skills to be college and career ready, and it focuses on giving
students opportunities to participate in internships, explore careers, collect digital
badges/portable credentials, and build a career portfolio. Implementing this initiative requires a
dynamic shift in curriculum design and teacher professional development. This workshop will
outline the steps Cumberland County Public Schools, with assistance from a High School
Innovation Grant, has taken to implement the Profile of a Virginia Graduate.
Impetus:
With the changing workplace, schools must change the way they prepare students to be
competitive in the job market:
Emphasizing 21st century skills
Employers now want employees who have the 5 C’s, including critical thinking,
communication, collaboration, creativity, and citizenship. Instilling content knowledge is
no longer enough to function in the global workplace.
Creating opportunities for students to participate in workplace experiences
The Portrait of a Virginia Graduate initiative requires that students have opportunities to
participate in internships, externships, and career exploration. Curriculum must be
redesigned to provide those opportunities, including finding ways to give students high
school credits for workplace experiences.
Developing a Career Portfolio
Many jobs still require college degrees, and students must be college ready. However,
according to Dan Schawbel (2017), writing for Forbes Magazine, more and more
companies are accepting non-traditional credentials rather than college degrees.
Therefore, students must be provided with opportunities to accumulate certifications,
digital badges, and other portable credentials.
Personalizing learning
The one-size-fits-all learning is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the rapidly
changing and technology infused job market. Each student should have opportunities
based on their individual goals and career aspirations.
Moreover, it is necessary to provide teachers and staff members with professional
development concerning the Profile of a Virginia Graduate and the current trends in the
workplace. It is hard to provide students with career guidance if teachers and administrators do
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not know what the 21st century job market looks like. Therefore, CUCPS instituted Workplace
Field Experiences whereby staff members toured top businesses and organizations to determine
the expertise and education students needed to obtain these jobs.
Process:
1. Introduce staff to the Portrait of a Virginia Graduate initiative and conduct workplace field
experiences for both staff and students so that everyone has an idea of what the current workplace
looks like.
2. Identify businesses and organizations that are willing to partner with the school to provide tours,
internships, job shadowing, or mentoring.
3. Develop a promotional campaign that makes businesses and organizations aware of the
significance of portable credentials and digital badges.
4. Align the curriculum to prepare students for college or careers and provide students with
opportunities to accumulate digital badges and portable credentials.
5. Work with the Virginia Department of Education to provide students with opportunities to
accumulate high school credits for workplace experiences.
6. Make the Portrait of a Virginia Graduate a priority by providing sufficient staffing and support.
7. Motivate students to sign up for internships, job shadowing, and CTE courses related to their
chosen career path.
8. Review the process periodically to make changes or modifications as necessary.
Highlights:
Worked with EdLeader21: A Network of Bettelle for Kids to develop criteria and rubrics for earning
digital badges in the 5 C’s.
Implemented Workplace Field Experiences for staff members prior to the school year so that all staff
had an opportunity to visit a 21st century workplace. Visits for staff and students continued
throughout the year.
Received a planning grant for High School Redesign from the Virginia Department of Education to
help implement the Profile of a Virginia Graduate.
Lessons Learned:
Start planning the Workplace Field Experiences early—it takes a lot of coordination to arrange tours
for all staff members to go in small groups to various businesses that represent the 16 career clusters
recognized by the Virginia Department of Education.
Expect that not everything will go smoothly and that it will take hard work to redesign curriculum and
establish digital badges.
“You have to be very nimble and very open minded. Your
success is going to be very dependent on how you adapt.”
— Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp
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Beverly L. Cocke Mac Beaton [email protected] [email protected] Henrico County Public Schools Henrico County Public Schools School Board Representative Career and Technical Education Brookland District Director Primary Objective:
To celebrate and recognize high school students who will be graduating and completing a CTE concentration who will directly enter the workforce or some form of post-secondary training that is directly connected to developing the workforce such as apprenticeship programs.
Secondary Objectives:
• Highlight the many lucrative opportunities for students so that parents understand the value of the alternatives to a 4-year college.
• Encourage businesses to engage with students prior to graduation to help fulfill their workforce needs.
• Encourage students to continue to strive for excellence as their high school career ends and their future career begins.
Overview: The Career and Technical Letter of Intent Signing Day recognized and celebrated high school students who had completed a CTE program and were entering the world of work. Much like a signing day for star athletes, the CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day is a way to honor a student’s choice to enter the world of work. The flash from cameras and the video cameras of local news agencies added excitement. Interviews with the students, parents and business representatives were conducted, social media posts were made, and all the major news outlets broadcast stories of the event. Dirty Jobs host and voice of the long running Deadliest Catch, Mike Rowe, responded to one of our Facebook posts about his support of the event and it went viral. Mike’s comment was: "This is the way forward. No attempt to close the skills gap will ever succeed until or unless we celebrate those who are willing to learn a skill that's in demand. This is not just a terrific idea, it's a model for every other technical school in the
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country... Here's hoping others will follow Henrico's lead. " The Facebook post quickly led to the Henrico Career & Technical Education Director receiving an invitation to be interviewed nationally for the Today Show and Fox News.
Highlights: The results of this program exceeded all expectations. While our goal was to bring attention to the students who were entering the workforce to help them and their parents see the value of this choice, we never thought it would be something that is now being duplicated not only across the country, but we have even been contacted by someone in Canada who wanted information on how to have a similar event. This event has created a movement across the country to celebrate students entering the workforce. After a year, we are still receiving multiple phone calls from across the country from schools, elected officials, businesses, etc. wanting information to see how to have a similar event in their state. Locally, the response from businesses wanting to participate and hire students has been overwhelming! Each year we have a back to school dinner where we invite our business partners to thank them for agreeing to work with us. Traditionally we would have 20 to 30 businesses participate. Because of the signing day, when we sent out the invitation for the dinner, we had over 175 responses within 24 hours. We continue to have multiple businesses reaching out to participate in the CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day.
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Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS): A Resource to Local School Divisions
Jessica Stehle, MA, CRC Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
Pre-Employment Program Coordinator [email protected]
PURPOSE
To educate school division leaders in Pre-ETS available statewide to students with disabilities through a collaborative effort between Virginia high schools and Virginia DARS.
OVERVIEW
Pre-ETS are a set of services that support students with career exploration and preparation for employment and adult life. When provided in collaboration with local school divisions, Pre-ETS activities complement and reinforce education services and expand transition activities necessary to promote movement from school to post-school success. Pre-ETS activities can be adapted to meet the needs of local school divisions and enhance IDEA Part B indicators.
HIGHLIGHTS
Virginia DARS and the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program:
• State agency with a VR program that assists people with disabilities to prepare for, secure, retain or regainemployment
• Committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities have opportunities to compete for and enjoy high qualityemployment
• Services include assistance to students with disabilitieso Pre-ETSo VR services
Pre-ETS: • Designed to be an early start at career exploration and to enrich transition planning and the continuum of
services necessary to prepare students with disabilities to enter into successful careers and adult life.• Can begin when a high school student turns 14 as part of their overall transition plan.• Intended to supplement services provided by Education.
Student with a disability (SWD): • An individual age 14 to 22 in a secondary, postsecondary or other recognized education program who is
receiving special education or related services under Part B of IDEA or is an individual with a disability forpurposes of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
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The 5 Pre-ETS:
Pre-ETS Category Supports SWDs to...
1. Job Exploration Counseling (JEC) Learn about career pathways, in-demand industries and occupations, the labor market and their career interests
2. Work-based Learning (WBL) Further explore the world of work and various occupations and career pathways and have opportunities to practice and improve workplace skills
3. Counseling on PostsecondaryEducation/Training Options (CPSET)
Develop awareness of the range of postsecondary educational and occupational training opportunities and understand and take a career pathways approach to employment
4. Workplace Readiness Training (WRT) Develop independent living skills and employers commonly seek frommost employees
5. Instruction in Self-Advocacy (ISA) Develop communication, decision-making; and self-determination skills
VR and Education share common goals
• Four transition priorities and indicators outlined in IDEA ((1, 2, 13, 14) align with VR performance indicators• Collaborating for services will enhance each agency’s outcomes
Impact of Pre-ETS on Education
• Can complement and reinforce school transition services and expand array of transition activities and supportsavailable to SWDs
• Can help increase SWDs’ ability and desire to engage and complete high school• Can help increase SWDs’ ability and desire to successfully engage in postsecondary education, training and
employment• Can help increase and help SWDs’ ability and desire to access adult-service agencies• Can help increase SWDs’ social, independence and self-advocacy skills, which can positively impact post-school
success
To learn more about DARS and Pre-ETS:
• Check out our DARS website: https://vadars.org/• Visit our Pre-ETS and VR Transition Services page: https://vadars.org/drs/transitionservices.htm• Watch Pre-ETS videos on YouTube
o DARS’ Pre-Employment Transition Services Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UucSFQw0Aowo Pre-ETS @ Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrekcCKnbdo
• Find your local DARS office: https://vadars.org/drs/drsoffices.htm
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