New: Dates for Monthly Special Education Directors’ Forums in School Year 2020–21
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has decided to hold monthly Special Education Directors' Forums this next school year to increase communication and engagement with local directors of special education and other stakeholders. The purpose of the forums will continue to be to provide federal and state updates related to special education. We will also use the questions/issues discussed at the 4th Tuesday Minnesota Administrators for Special Education (MASE) Slice of Collaboration monthly meetings, where MDE staff members have been invited to be present, to help us prepare the agendas for each monthly forum.
The dates for the Special Education Director Forums for 2020–21 are:
August 19, 2020
September 11, 2020
October 9, 2020
November 13, 2020
December 11, 2020
January 8, 2021
February 12, 2021
March 5, 2021
April 9, 2021
May 7, 2021
June 11, 2021
Note: The date in August is a Wednesday. All other forum dates in school year 2020-21 will be on the second Friday of the month (except for May 7, 2020, which is the first Friday). Monthly Forums will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. All forums in school year 2020–21 will be virtual; access information will be sent to directors and others on this listserv before each month's forum. These forum dates have also been shared with MASE and will be included on the MASE and MDE calendars.
We look forward to being with you all on August 19 at the next Special Education Directors’ Forum.
New: Directors’ Dialogue event scheduled for Thursday, August 6
Topic: Updated Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Guidance for Return to School in Fall – Includes 1:1 Services
MDE will begin hosting a Special Education Directors’ Dialogue series this next school year. These events will be scheduled, as needed, on timely topical issues where we will provide information and also plan to seek feedback from participants. As we know, Governor Walz will make his announcement on July 30 regarding the plan for return to school in the fall. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is also working on updating the health guidance that will include requirements on 1:1 services.
We thought that this would be a great first topic for the Directors’ Dialogue series. This Directors’ Dialogue event is scheduled for Thursday, August 6, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. It will be a virtual event using Zoom. More information will be sent to you soon. This series will be a work in progress. We may try different Zoom features such as meeting rooms or chat to allow time for a Q and A period during the event. We are all in this virtual world together.
As announced on last week's superintendent and charter leader call, we will provide an update about plans for the 2020-21 school year on Thursday, July 30.
Engaging with Your School Community
As part of the planning process for the 2020-21 school year, school districts and charter schools should be actively engaging with students, families, educators and other members of the school community. Here is an excerpt from the 2020-21 Planning Guidance for Minnesota Public Schools to help guide that work:
Create a plan for developing, seeking feedback and communicating the district or charter school’s plan under each scenario for the 2020-21 school year. Involve students, families and staff in developing these plans. Your plan should include, at a minimum, how you will address operations; academics; student, family, and staff supports; and professional development and training. The plan must be translated and communicated in both written and oral languages based on the needs of your community.
- How will the district seek input from families and students in the development of the plan? How will the district share the plan with families and students?
- How will the district seek input from key labor groups (teachers, secretarial, custodial, etc.) throughout the development of the plans, especially on any job description adjustments based on identified needs? How will the district share the plan with key labor groups?
- How will the district seek feedback from district and school staff? How will the district share the plan with district and school staff?
Consider creating an advisory group that consists of students, family members, staff, and community members; utilizing your World’s Best Workforce (WBWF) committee; utilizing your American Indian Parent Advisory Committee; or utilizing some other form of diverse advisory committee that already exists in your school district.
Once a model of delivery is determined for the 2020-21 school year, survey your families and staff on what their specific needs are given the learning model.
On July 22, Governor Walz signed Executive Order 20-81, which states that as of July 25, 2020, masks are required indoors in public spaces in Minnesota. This includes public and nonpublic school buildings. For more information about face coverings and face shields, see Page 6 of the MDH K-12 planning guidance.
Reminder: Restrictive Procedures Reporting
Restrictive procedures reporting was due on July 15, 2020. Districts that have not yet completed their reporting should do so now. This includes annual reporting on physical holding and quarterly reporting on seclusion use. These reports must be completed even by districts that do not have physical holding or seclusion uses to report.
The 2019-20 Physical Holding Annual Summary Form can be found on the Restrictive Procedures webpage, along with instructions for submission. All districts are required to submit the physical holding summary form, even if no physical holds were used during the school year. Please complete and submit the form electronically on the Special Education Document Upload webpage. Do not submit a scanned copy. Questions can be sent to MDE.RP-SeclusionReporting@state.mn.us.
Quarterly seclusion reporting was also due on July 15, 2020. Districts that have not already submitted their quarterly seclusion report should do so now, even if no seclusions were used during the quarter. The Quarterly Seclusion Reporting Form can be found on the Restrictive Procedures webpage, along with instructions for submission. Complete the form above electronically and submit as an Excel file by uploading to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) on the Special Education Document Upload webpage. If no seclusion uses occurred during the quarter, the district should send an email, including the district number and name, confirming no seclusion uses to MDE.RP-SeclusionReporting@state.mn.us.
If the district has not submitted quarterly seclusion reports for previous quarters of the 2019-20 school year (due in October, January and April), the district should do so now, following the instructions above. Districts must submit quarterly seclusion reports each quarter, even if no seclusions were used. Questions can be sent to MDE.RP-SeclusionReporting@state.mn.us.
Danielle Hayden to Head Early Childhood Special Education
MDE is happy to announce that Danielle Hayden will be joining the Early Learning Services Division as the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) supervisor. She comes highly recommended. She is licensed as a director of special education as well as in early childhood (EC) education and ECSE. She has most recently been special services supervisor in South Washington County Public Schools. Before that she was with White Bear Lake as ECSE and EC supervisor. Her first day at MDE will be August 5. We are looking forward to having Danielle join the team.
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