Sonoma Special Education Advisory Council - SEAC

10/04/2023

There is a school board study session this weekend specific to special education. If you have any input you’d like to share you can do so during Celeste’s office hour (no matter which school your child attends).

Please join me on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 from 3:30pm - 4:30pm in the library at Flowery School for my monthly office hours. This Saturday will be a Board Study Session about Special Education, so this would be a good time to share with me your thoughts if you are unable to attend the Study Session, or if you just feel more comfortable sharing your thoughts in a less public setting.
All are welcome. Translation services will be provided.
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Únase a mí el miércoles 4 de octubre de 2023 de 3:30pm a 4:30pm en la biblioteca de Flowery School para mis horas de oficina mensuales. Este sábado habrá una sesión de estudio de la Junta sobre educación especial, por lo que sería un buen momento para compartir conmigo sus pensamientos si no puede asistir a la sesión de estudio o si simplemente se siente más cómodo compartiendo sus pensamientos en un entorno menos público. .
Todos son bienvenidos. Se proporcionarán servicios de traducción.

05/20/2022

If you have a senior, including seniors at an NPS, and they want to participate in GradNight the sign up is live.
Just as some background: about a year before COVID the SEAC approached the Grad Night organizers about including the NPS students in the event due to the fact they are district students but not SVHS students as the high school could not appropriately serve them. The Grad Night committee overwhelmingly embraced the idea and was all in... then stupid COVID rained on the party.
So now GradNight is back and it includes ALL Sonoma Valley Seniors.
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Si tiene un estudiante de último año, incluidos los estudiantes de último año en un NPS, y quiere participar en GradNight, la inscripción es en vivo.
Solo como algunos antecedentes: aproximadamente un año antes de COVID, el SEAC se acercó a los organizadores de Grad Night para incluir a los estudiantes de NPS en el evento debido al hecho de que son estudiantes del distrito pero no estudiantes de SVHS ya que la escuela secundaria no podía atenderlos adecuadamente. El comité de Grad Night abrazó abrumadoramente la idea y estuvo de acuerdo... entonces el estúpido COVID llovió sobre la fiesta.
Así que ahora GradNight está de regreso e incluye a TODOS los adultos mayores del Valle de Sonoma.

WE ARE EXCITED TO WELCOME YOU TO SONOMA VALLEY GRAD NIGHT 2022~ a safe and sober event that will be a great night together with seniors from throughout Sonoma Valley! Please read and complete all sections of this form to be REGISTERED for the event! Questions? Contact [email protected] or Rene...

05/01/2022

Attention teachers and classified staff:

California Education Code - EDC § 56046(a) essentially states that your school district cannot intimidate, threaten, coerce, or ATTEMPT to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any teacher or staff who assist a parent or guardian of a pupil with exceptional needs to obtain services or accommodations for that pupil.
So if you are experiencing pressure from administrators discouraging you from assisting parents of students with disabilities or suspected disabilities access their rights to services, accommodations, assessments, etc you have the right to file a Uniform Complaint an cite this California education code.
You have the right to assist students and their families in obtaining and accessing their rights.
https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/education-code/edc-sect-56046.html

03/16/2022

Opportunity from North Bay Regional Center:
Please, see the attached flyers for of our upcoming NBRC Disparity and Equity Public Meetings for the month of March. During the March meetings, NBRC will present data on how purchase of services monies are spent by ethnicity and language. There will also be opportunities for clients, families, and the community to provide input and feedback on how to decrease the gap in disparities.
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Oportunidad del Centro Regional de North Bay:
Por favor, vea los volantes adjuntos para nuestras próximas Reuniones Públicas de Disparidad y Equidad de NBRC para el mes de marzo. Durante las reuniones de marzo, NBRC presentará datos sobre cómo se gasta el dinero de la compra de servicios por etnia e idioma. También habrá oportunidades para que los clientes, las familias y la comunidad proporcionen información y comentarios sobre cómo disminuir la brecha en las disparidades.



Additionally, NBRC will be hosting a panel and roundtable community meeting on Wednesday April 27th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm via Zoom. The panel and roundtable meeting will be in English and Spanish, interpreting will be available. A flyer will be sent by the end of March with more details about it.

03/15/2022

Update on SVUSD not “offering” more than 20 ESY days… I asked for PWN and the district now feels it IS in my child’s best interest to attend the entire 29 days — and it will be paid for by the district. Check your IEP notes page and if you see a “disclaimer” that they only pay for 20 ESY days (and your child’s NPS program is more than just 20 days) send an email asking for them to pay for the program in its entirety. Please feel free to reach out if you need help putting together an email!

03/14/2022

The SEAC has withdrawn from the district and we have officially taken steps to be an independent organization.

After years and hundreds of unpaid hours of labor to build collaboration with SVUSD it became clear that effort was not only one sided, it was futile. As Nina Simone once said, you have to learn to get up from the table when love is no longer being served. That is what we have done.

We’ve submitted a name change request to Facebook to become the Special Education Advocacy Council, and we are making plans for our next steps in developing plans to support and empower families in special education.

If you would like to get involved and participate in this work, please feel free to email us at [email protected]
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El SEAC se ha retirado del distrito y oficialmente hemos tomado medidas para ser una organización independiente.

Después de años y cientos de horas de trabajo no remuneradas para desarrollar la colaboración con SVUSD, quedó claro que el esfuerzo no era solo unilateral, sino inútil. Como dijo una vez Nina Simone, hay que aprender a levantarse de la mesa cuando el amor ya no está servido. Eso es lo que hemos hecho.

Hemos enviado una solicitud de cambio de nombre a Facebook para convertirnos en el Consejo de defensa de la educación especial y estamos haciendo planes para nuestros próximos pasos en el desarrollo de planes para apoyar y empoderar a las familias en la educación especial.

Si desea involucrarse y participar en este trabajo, no dude en enviarnos un correo electrónico a [email protected]

03/13/2022

On February 9, 2022 - SEAC leadership submitted a CPRA request to Sonoma Valley Unified School District regarding the allegation that our council, or one of our members, created a "hostile work environment" for district administrative staff. District legal counsel on behalf of the district, have denied our request to receive a copy of the complaint. To date, the district has denied every single CPRA request we have made.

1. In CA in order for a hostile work environment complaint to be substantiated, the individual(s) making the complaint must belong to a protected class. We are unsure what protected class district administration as a whole belong to - SEAC however is a protected class by the very definition of our organization.

2. If a complaint has been lodged against us to the degree that district legal counsel has created a memorandum, and SVUSD board trustees and Superintendent Palazuelos feel compelled to discuss it at a steakhouse outside of a public board meeting (violating the Brown Act), then that complaint should be provided to the SEAC so that we may respond to the allegation.

3. Bottom line: if you have nothing to hide SVUSD, then stop hiding everything and simply provide the documents. If you choose not to, then don't pretend to be surprised and offended when the community does not believe or trust you.

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El 9 de febrero de 2022, el liderazgo de SEAC presentó una solicitud de CPRA al Distrito Escolar Unificado del Valle de Sonoma con respecto a la acusación de que nuestro consejo o uno de nuestros miembros creó un "ambiente de trabajo hostil" para el personal administrativo del distrito. El asesor legal del distrito en nombre del distrito ha denegado nuestra solicitud de recibir una copia de la queja. Hasta el día de hoy, el distrito ha denegado todas las solicitudes de CPRA que hemos realizado.

1. En CA, para que se verifique una queja sobre un ambiente de trabajo hostil, la(s) persona(s) que presenta(n) la queja debe(n) pertenecer a una clase protegida. No estamos seguros de a qué clase protegida pertenece la administración del distrito en su conjunto; sin embargo, SEAC es una clase protegida según la definición de versión de nuestra organización.

2. Si se ha presentado una queja contra nosotros en la medida en que el asesor legal del distrito ha creado un memorando y los síndicos de la junta del SVUSD y el superintendente Palazuelos se sienten obligados a discutirlo en un asador fuera de una reunión pública de la junta (violando la Ley Brown), entonces eso La queja debe ser entregada al SEAC para que podamos responder a la acusación.

3. En pocas palabras: si no tiene nada que ocultar SVUSD, deje de ocultar todo y simplemente proporcione los documentos. Si decide no hacerlo, no finja estar sorprendido u ofendido cuando la comunidad no le crea o no confíe en usted.

03/10/2022

Have you been told that your school district only provides a certain number of ESY days for your child with an IEP? I just sat in an IEP for my own child and the LEA representative (team member from the district) said the district only covers 20 ESY days. When I questioned the rationale the district reply was that they are following their own and the SELPA guidelines. The program my daughter is in (Nonpublic School) runs a 29 day Extended School Year Summer program. All team members (excluding the LEA rep) agreed my child needed the entire 29 day program. There is no policy around the number of days for a child's ESY, it's about the child and their UNIQUE needs. Please see below (the last sentence). You will see there is no limitation allowed according to Federal law.
Sec. 300.106 Extended school year services
Statute/Regs Main » Regulations » Part B » Subpart B » Section 300.106
300.106 Extended school year services.
(a) General.
(1) Each public agency must ensure that extended school year services are available as necessary to provide FAPE, consistent with paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(2) Extended school year services must be provided only if a child’s IEP Team determines, on an individual basis, in accordance with §§300.320 through 300.324, that the services are necessary for the provision of FAPE to the child.
(3) In implementing the requirements of this section, a public agency may not—
(i) Limit extended school year services to particular categories of disability; or
(ii) Unilaterally limit the type, amount, or duration of those services.

---Mindy