PALS Meeting Minutes
May 27, 2020 9:30 a.m.
Virtual Meeting using Zoom
Scroll down for the latest COVID-19 Resources & More.
Tim Mahoney, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services for the Fox Chapel School District (FCASD) join us with a few updates for the district. FCASD decisions are based on the latest guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (DOE).
At this time, the DOE indicates that while districts are in the Yellow Phase there is not to be any face-to-face contact with students.
There has been some misunderstanding as it relates to the Yellow Phase, a district's Extended Schoo Year Services (ESY), and Summer Camps.
For instance, Deer Creek has indicated it will be open and families can certainly choose to send their children to the camp, however, schools (in the Yellow Phase) cannot offer this as an ESY option because of the Yellow Phase face-to-face restrictions on schools.
Because ESY placement is approved by the IEP Team with required documentation going to the state prior to placement, families who choose to enroll their child in a summer camp will not be reimbursed.
FCASD is currently planning virtual ESY for the month of July.
Teachers are working to identify students who may not have qualified for ESY in the past, but due to this semester's circumstances may qualify this year.
The district is trying to figure out how to work with both the availability of the family and the schedule of the teacher(s) and or therapist(s) in setting up virtual ESY.
ESY will not only be focused on academics. Socialization will also be an important aspect of any virtual ESY program.
The district MAY attempt face-to-face ESY if allowed, HOWEVER, the logistics and timeframe are not necessarily feasible.
If families with children in approved private schools are having difficulty receiving ESY services they are urged to contact the district. Tim and his team are working hard to make sure the needs of all students in the community are met within their ability.
It is unclear whether or not therapist will be able to make home visits as a part of ESY services IF a district goes into the Green Phase. There are multiple conversations between the district administrators, therapists, and teacher unions that must be had to make such a decision.
The district will be offering the Summer Learning Academy (SLA) virtually during the month of July. Some students who qualify for ESY will be offered SLA. The format will be live teaching between 9:00-11:00 a.m., one hour of Math and one hour of ELA, small class sizes (less than 12 students).
Families with high schoolers should contact the student's case manager to arrange summer programing.
The Learning Academy will run virtually for high schoolers. This is an opportunity normally offered to incoming 9th graders and teaches leadership and study skills.
The district is working on a virtual Jobs Program to continue to help high school students prepare for transition from high school.
Although clinics, doctor's offices, and other offices are open and available to conduct Independent Education Evaluations (IEE), remember, district's are only obligated to consider the evaluation, they are not obligated to use it to determine eligibility of Special Education services.
If your child was scheduled for an evaluation or reevaluation please contact the district to discuss moving forward.
The district is expecting a bottleneck of evaluations and reevaluations once they are allowed to conduct face-to-face meetings again. They are working to make a plan to address every families needs quickly.
Families are encouraged to share their virtual learning experiences with district IEP team members. What worked, what didn't work, things you found helpful and unhelpful, behaviors out and new, resources your family has found useful.
Student equity is a critical aspect of education. For that reason, things like transportation are not easily solved. Even if families volunteered to transport their children, the district is required to provide a seat on a bus for every student.
Helpful Resources:
Natural Reader (naturalreader.com) software will translate text-to-speech.
Book Share (bookstore.org) is a text-to-speech software program FCASD uses.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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Disability Rights Network May Newsletter
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In response to COVID-19, changes have been made to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). "The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The Department of Labor’s (Department) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements. These provisions will apply from the effective date through December 31, 2020." For more informaiton please use the links above or visit the Department of Labor (DOL) webiste.
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From Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Intellectual Disability (OID)
AC DHS is preparing for what COVID-19 means for changes in service delivery today and into the future. As the situation continues to evolve, we want to get a feel for what people who are receiving services are experiencing—what is working well and what is not—to continue helping those who need it the most.
Please share the survey with family members and individuals that you support and assist them in completing it online if necessary.
First, ask clients if they will answer a few questions about the help they are receiving. Let them know their responses can be anonymous and we will use their input for planning. Then share the survey link (https://neighborland.com/alleghenycounty) with them if they’re able to complete it independently on a computer, tablet or mobile device. If they cannot, please respond on their behalf:
Scroll down to Share Your Ideas
Click “Answer” underneath each question
Click sign in or sign up to comment. Signing in or up is not required to respond. You will be able to choose to Participate Anonymously on the next screen.
Type in the text box and click “Post” when you are finished. Responses post immediately and are visible to anyone with a link to the website.
Do not forget to complete the survey yourself! You will be able to enter multiple responses after clicking “Post” after each response. We know you are busier now that ever.
Thank you for taking the time to help shape the future of our human services system.
Brenda Bulkoski
Deputy Director, Office of Intellectual Disability (OID), Allegheny County Department of Human Services (AC DHS).
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From Open Up Pittsburgh
The Open Up team has been working hard to bring plans for accessible virtual practice to life. Today, we published our first digital book with written content as well as a video collections for all ages.
We look forward to sharing more resources from Open Up as we continue to work in the hopes of bringing a bit of lightness to our spaces.
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From Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Intellectual Disability (OID)
The Integrated Supports Star, a Charting the LifeCourse tool, is a way to brainstorm and share support strategies throughout the COVID-19 response.
Find information about a May webinar, Supports Star examples, an Allegheny County COVID-19 star and an Allegheny County blank star for you to complete on the OID Key Communicator Announcement page here https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Human-Services/Programs-Services/Disabilities/Key-Communicators.aspx
Also from OID
Supplemental Security Income Recipients Will Receive Automatic COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments SSI Recipients with Dependent Children Should Still Go To IRS.gov to Provide Their Information
News release Wednesday, April 15th 2020
“The Social Security Administration announced today that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive automatic Economic Impact Payments directly from the Treasury Department. Treasury anticipates these automatic payments no later than early May.
SSI recipients with no qualifying children do not need to take any action in order to receive their $1,200 economic impact payment. The payments will be automatic.
SSI recipients who have qualifying children under age 17, however, should not wait for their automatic $1,200 individual payment. They should now go to the IRS’s webpage at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here and visit the Non-Filers: Enter Your Payment Info section to provide their information. By taking proactive steps to enter information on the IRS website about them and their qualifying children, they will also receive the $500 per dependent child payment in addition to their $1,200 individual payment. If SSI beneficiaries in this group do not provide their information to the IRS soon, they will have to wait until later to receive their $500 per qualifying child.”
For more information and a print version of the news release visit https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2020/#4-2020-3
Also from OID
Also from OID
Find this latest resource list, Resources especially helpful during the COVID-19 response on the OID webpage here
Please take some time to explore…I hope you find some things you can use… Your feedback would be appreciated!
There are lots of remote activities and ways to stay connected, supported and informed including:
Resources related to supporting individuals with intellectual disability and/or autism, their families and the people that support them
Resources related to supporting individuals with specific communication needs, their families and the people that support them
Basic Needs
Find support and connection
Ways to keep busy
Education - students learning from home
As always, these lists are also available on our page:
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The Statewide Support & Referral Helpline is staffed by skilled and compassionate staff that are available 24/7 to respond to those struggling with anxiety and other challenging emotions due to the COVID-19 emergency. Staff at the Helpline refer callers to community-based resources that can further help to meet individual needs.
The toll-free, round-the-clock support line is officially operational.
The number to call is 1-855-284-2494. For TTY, dial 724-631-5600.
The Helpline was created by the Department of Human Services DHS and the Center for Community Resources (CCR). Helpline staff are trained to be accessible, culturally competent, and skilled at assisting individuals in the ID/A community as well as anyone else who might have a need – teens, adults, special populations and their supporters. Staff use the principles of trauma-informed care to listen, assess needs, triage calls, and provide appropriate referral to community resources to children, teens, adults and special populations.
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Autism Connection of Pennsylvania's Spring Newsletter
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Center for Community Resources
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From Fox Chapel Area School District:
The Fox Chapel Area School District is continuing weekly food distributions for our families. These distributions, consisting of five breakfasts and five lunches, will continue as long as the school district is closed.
Weekly distribution will be held from noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the back entrance of Kerr Elementary School.
We will continue to keep you informed of upcoming food distribution sessions as they are scheduled.
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Great Pittsubrgh Food Bank is holding a number of no contact food distributions in the area. There is a weeky distribution at the their headquarters at 1 N. Linden St.
Duquesne, PA 15110 every Monday. The time is generally 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.. Please tune into local news organizations for updates and other no contact food distribution sites. If you need additional information or further assistance, please visit their Get Help page.
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During this time, we will continue to host virtual meetings using Zoom EVERY Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.. We will post the log-in information for these meetings on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. THIS IS A PASSWORD PROTECTED MEETING. THE PASSWORD IS INCLUDED IN OUR E-MAILED NEWSLETTER. YOU MAY SUBSCRIBE TO OUR E-MAIL LIST TO RECEIVE IT.
Reference Material
Need information regarding the rights to special education in Pennsylvania? The Education Law Center’s “A Guide for Parents and Advocates” is a great start.
Next Meeting: June 3, 2020 9:30 a.m. Virtual Meeting using Zoom. Currently scheduled as Open Forum, a time to share resources and experiences, and ask questions of the group. This will be the last of our special COVID-19 weekly meetings. We will then resume monthly meetings with the addition of four new meetings a year with a schedule that will take us to twelve meetings per year.
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