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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11bi Education App B Spec Ed Policy Ad Hoc 12 Oct 2011 Report 9 Appendix B REPORT NO. 9, SPECIAL EDUCATION POLICY AD HOC COMMITTEE TO: The Education Committee and DATE: 12 October 2011 Special Education Advisory Committee A meeting of the Special Education Policy Ad Hoc Committee was held on 12 October 2011 commencing at 5:30 p.m. Bronwyn Funiciello in the chair and the following also in attendance: TRUSTEE MEMBERS: Jennifer McKenzie Rob Campbell SEAC REPRESENTATIVES: Beth Doubt, Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils Rosanna DiMito, Association for Bright Children of Ontario STAFF: Dawn Paxton, Superintendent of Learning Support Services Sue Baker, Board/Committee Coordinator GUEST: Ken Victor, Consultant (electronic communication) 1. Call to Order Trustee Funiciello called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. 2. Approval of Agenda Moved by Trustee McKenzie, THAT the agenda be approved. Moved by Trustee McKenzie, Support for the Consultationm 3. - Carried, friendly Moved by Trustee McKenzie, THAT the agenda be approved, as amended. - Carried 3. Support for the Consultation Superintendent Paxton reviewed the quotations received from potential suppliers and the Committee agreed to the provision of the following support services: Ken Victor will be engaged to gather, analyse and collate all information received to write the report at a cost of $16,000. It was agreed that having an external consultant undertake this work may remove any perception of bias and considerably shorten the time it would take the Committee and staff to do it in house. This work is in addition to facilitating two focus group sessions on 19 October 2011 at a cost of $4,000; Special Education Policy - 1 - 12 October 2011 Ad Hoc Committee Mediaco will be engaged to provide labour and audio equipment to record the focus groups sessions and provide transcription services with a 10-day turnaround at a cost of $2,350.40. Mediaco will supply wired microphones at each table. The Committee agreed to request an additional two wireless microphones at a cost of approximately $500 to have on hand if more people attend than can be accommodated at the tables; The Communications Department will be asked to arrange for staff to be trained and attend the consultation sessions and create a blog to enable participation for those individuals unable to attend the sessions in person; and with the proviso that personal information would be redacted. 4. Report 8, Special Education Policy Ad Hoc Committee, 26 September 2011 Moved by Trustee Campbell, THAT Report 8, Special Education Ad Hoc Committee, dated 26 September 2011 be received. - Carried 5. Focus Group Sessions 19 October 2011 a) Participant Package the consultation is not about the possibility of closing any special education classes or programs; and Copies will be available at each table. b) Room Set Up The room will be set up to accommodate 100 participants at ten tables; Each table will have a table-top microphone and ten chairs; Additional chairs will be available at the back of the room to provide extra seating for up to 80 people; Two hand-held wireless microphones will be available to allow all participants who may not be sitting at tables to be heard; 50 copies of printed materials will be available at a resource table at the venue; Committee members agreed to arrive early, greet participants and invite them to sit at any table; and Committee members agreed to ensure that one of the members would sit at the resource table to answer questions. c) Reminders A reminder notice was sent to all potential participants via email on 7 October 2011; A second reminder will be sent 24-48 hours prior to the consultation; Trustees Funiciello and McKenzie agreed to draft the second email reminder; and Beth Doubt and Rosanna DiMito agreed to forward the reminder email to organization representative members of representatives. d) Format of the Consultation Sessions: Daytime: rolling admission, free-flowing discussion; Special Education Policy - 2 - 12 October 2011 Ad Hoc Committee Evening: Begin with free-flowing discussion on the delivery of special education services and let the discussion take its natural course; Consultation should not get side-tracked by a discussion of resource/budget issues; Emphasis should not be on changes to policy but rather on the delivery of special education services and what does and does not work well; Search for positive and constructive ideas; Refer to list of other areas for review that was attached to the minutes of the 26 September meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee to draw out input; With regard to setting expectations, participants may provide input on any area; however, they should not be lead to believe that it would result in a policy change; Everyone attending the sessions will be treated in the same manner; Participants may sit wherever they wish; all sessions will be plenary with one speaker at a time, and there will not be a facilitator or recorder situated at each table; and Each session will begin with an introduction, overview of the purpose of the consultation and next steps and a review of the ground rules. e) Report Ken Victor advised that he would be out of town during the first week of November and that his report would not be ready until 14 November 2011; The transcript of the consultation sessions will be available 10 days later, i.e., 29 October; , as received, will be attached to a letter of transmittal containing the Committeerecommendations that will be presented to the Education Committee, SEAC and Board commencing with the December SEAC meeting; and continuing its discussions on input received prior to and during the consultation sessions and formulating its recommendations. 6. Next Steps The Committee agreed to the following next steps: a) Next Meeting The next meeting will take place on 26 October 2011 at 5:00 p.m. prior to the Special Education Advisory Committee. The Committee agreed that it would prefer to meet in a room time the members will proceed directly to the SEAC meeting. The purpose of the next meeting is to discuss input received at the consultation sessions and begin to formulate recommendations and a letter of transmittal to the Education and SEAC Committees. 7. New Business a) Special Education Policies of other School Boards In response to a query from Trustee Campbell as to whether the Committee or staff have examined any special education policies of other school boards, Beth Doubt advised that when the revised policy was drafted in 2009-2010, special education policies of the Edmonton Catholic, Hamilton Wentworth District and Toronto District school boards were reviewed. Special Education Policy - 3 - 12 October 2011 Ad Hoc Committee 8. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Bronwyn Funiciello Chair Special Education Policy Ad Hoc Committee Special Education Policy - 4 - 12 October 2011 Ad Hoc Committee