SERC Scoop | September 2023 Edition

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serc

September 2023


What is SERC?

The Special Education Resolution Center of OSU (SERC) has been collaborating with the Oklahoma State Department of Education for over 10 years to help families and school districts resolve conflicts at the earliest stage possible. SERC provides services for children from birth to 3 in SoonerStart and for students 3 through 21 in public schools.


What does SERC provide to schools, SoonerStart, and families at no cost?


CADRE webinar: IDEA Case Law Update with Art Cernosia

 Art Cernosia, CADRE’s IDEA legal consultant, reviews the most important  legal cases in special education and early intervention in the recent past. In addition to reviewing the cases, he reflects upon what they may mean for the field, and encourage your questions throughout. 


5 Actions to Reduce Exclusionary Discipline – OSEP Launches 200+Resource Database to Support Reducing Exclusionary Discipline.

Valerie C. Williams, Director, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), has released the Discipline Discussions blog series over the last seven months. The series highlights many of the most pressing issues in school discipline practices and behavioral supports for children with disabilities: informal removals, discipline disparities, suspensions and expulsion in early childhood programs, to name a few.

OSEP is sharing information from the technical assistance centers to provide concrete, actionable, and turnkey resources for educators, families, early childhood programs, and administrators at the state and local levels to reduce exclusionary discipline.

Click here to view the blog.


OSEP Policy Bulletins on Positive, Proactive Approaches to Supporting Children with Disabilities – Stakeholders Guide, and Questions and Answers: Addressing the Needs of Children with Disabilities and IDEA’s Discipline Provisions

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services released two important bulletins on June 19, 2022. These helpful bulletins are included below.

Positive, Proactive Approaches to Supporting Children With Disabilities – A Guide for Stakeholders

Questions and Answers: Addressing the Needs Of Children With Disabilities and IDEA’s Discipline Provisions


SERC’s Facilitator Training

SERC is offering a new training as a one-day course to districts beginning in the fall of 2023. The training will provide an overview of facilitation to include facilitator qualities and skills, key functions of a facilitator, the facilitator’s role before, during, and after a meeting, along with a toolbox of practical facilitator strategies and techniques to use during a meeting. This training will provide helpful resources to those who want to sharpen their skills and tools when facilitating difficult meetings. It will also benefit districts wanting to develop in-house facilitators for IEP meetings.

The training will be offered in-person with regional classes in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The course will be from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. This training is available at no cost to those attending through our partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Registration is made online. Course dates and locations with registration links are below. For more information, contact SERC’s Program Coordinator, Rob Keiter at rob.keiter@okstate.edu or (405) 569-3105.


FY24 Facilitation Training Schedule and Registration


Virtual/In-Person Mediation and IEP facilitation in Oklahoma

virtual

While IEP facilitations and mediations continue to be offered through online-video format with Zoom, in-person meetings are also available. Virtual meetings will be the default unless an in-person meeting is requested. To participate in a virtual meeting, you will need a computer/iPad/smartphone with WIFI and a place to meet without interruptions. Participants can also access by phone. An iPad with hot spot can be provided for use at no cost for those without access to a computer and/or WIFI. Contact SERC for more information about scheduling a virtual or in-person meeting.


Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue Update

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is a nationally recognized training that helps people have difficult conversations that they are afraid to have or that aren’t going well. And the focus of the training is not just about communication – it’s about helping people get the results they want and need.

Dialog
Dialog

Crucial Conversations can help you in your conversations with:

  • School administrators
  • Special Education Directors and staff
  • School Staff and personnel including general ed teachers
  • Service resource providers
  • IEP team members
  • Parents and their advocates
  • Organizations and family support personnel that work with children with disabilities

We offer in-person classes as well as a virtual format using Zoom that is very effective. The in-person format consists of two days, and the virtual format consists of five 2.5-hour long sessions that can be scheduled over three days or one session at a time.

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is available at no cost to those attending through our partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. If you are interested in scheduling a future training for your district during the fall or spring, please contact Rob Keiter at  rob.keiter@okstate.edu or (405) 569-3105.

FY 24 Crucial Conversations Regional Classes Open for Registration

Administrators – OKC Regional In-Person training
Tuesday and Wednesday, October 3-4, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Training location – Mid-Del Technology Center

Administrators – Tulsa Regional In-Person training – Tuesday and Wednesday, October 24-25, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Training location – The Sharp Center – Jenks Public Schools

Special Ed Directors – OKC Regional In-Person training
Tuesday and Thursday, November 7-8, 8:30am to 4:00 pm
Location: Mid-Del Technology Center

Special Ed Directors – Tulsa Regional In-Person training
Thursday and Friday, December 5-6, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Location: The Sharp Center, Jenks Public Schools


Which Dispute Resolution Process is best for me?

Image

You may be wondering which dispute resolution process would be the best for you when dealing with special education-related disputes. This dispute chart will help you understand the differences between the three processes offered in Oklahoma. Each of these processes is offered at no cost to schools or parents. Please contact us with any questions related to our dispute resolution processes. We can help you decide which process will work the best for your situation.


Upcoming Events

Calendar

ABLE Tech Monthly AT Workshops

ABLE Tech has successfully completed several series of virtual workshops for special education and related service providers. The feedback was outstanding and focused on planning positive systemic improvements and changes.

Monthly workshops will resume for the fall in September, 2023. For more information about the ABLE Tech monthly workshops, visit the ABLE Tech calendar here.


Newsletters Archive

2023

2022


Jo Anne Pool Blades, Program Manager

                                              Special Education Resolution Center (SERC)                                                                               Oklahoma State University Sponsored Program                                                                            9726 E 42nd Street, Suite 203 | Tulsa, OK 74146                                         Phone: 918.270.1849 | Email: Jo Anne Pool Blades

OSU