This popular workshop offers school board members, special education administrators, student services professionals and other district staff the unique opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the laws that govern special education in Ohio. Speakers include experienced attorneys who represent Ohio school districts on special education law matters and staff from the Ohio Department of Education Office for Exceptional Children. Bring your questions. This program has been approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 5.5 total CLE hours.
Friday March 24, 2023
8:30 a.m.
Welcome and Registration
8:50 a.m.
Interpreting evaluations and making eligibility determinations
Julie Martin, Esq., Scott Scriven LLP, and Kate Jordan, School Psychologist, Upper Arlington City Schools
In this session, we will be discussing the key questions that evaluation teams must answer when interpreting evaluation results. The session will include an overview of the IDEA eligibility categories and will also feature experts in interpreting evaluation data and making eligibility determinations. We will also discuss how these evaluations drive ETR decisions and form the foundations of IEP goals.
9:50 a.m.
Break
10 a.m.
Understanding Section 504
Ryan Gembala, Esq., Dooley, Gembala, McLaughlin, Pecora LPA
In this session, we will spend time exploring the “other” major federal law impacting students with disabilities: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The session will discuss 504’s eligibility criteria, how to conduct evaluations, when and how to develop Section 504 plans, parent participation, and the protections afforded to students with disabilities in extracurricular activities.
11 a.m.
Break
11:10 a.m.
Assistive technology in the COVID-19/post-COVID-19 era
William M. Deters, Esq., Ennis Britton LPA
The provision of assistive technology (AT) to students with disabilities who require it to receive a free, appropriate public education has long been a requirement for school districts. However, the events of the past few years and the explosion of remote learning have forever changed the outlook of what AT might look like for schools and students. In this session, we will cover the basic legal requirements related to AT and some of the latest in AT that school districts can implement.
12:10 p.m.
Lunch
12:40 p.m.
Addressing behavioral issues in special education
Christina Peer, Esq., Weston Hurd LLP, and Jen Gonda, Owner/Director of Community Behavior Consulting
This session will cover one of the most challenging aspects of serving students with disabilities: behavioral issues in the classroom. In this session, we will discuss the district’s obligations related to these students, including writing behavioral goals in IEPs, developing effective functional behavioral assessments and behavioral intervention plans, and navigating the manifestation determination process when these students face disciplinary removals.
1:40 p.m.
Break
1:50 p.m.
Panel on special education dispute resolution: navigating facilitation, mediation and due process resolution meetings
Randy Fisher, Mediator, Ohio Department of Education Office for Exceptional Children, Susan Geary, Esq., Bricker & Eckler LLP, and Kristin Hildebrant, Esq., Disability Rights Ohio
The great majority of special education disputes are resolved in informal dispute resolution mechanisms, such as facilitated IEP meetings, mediations or due process resolution meetings. This means that preparing for and conducting effective dispute resolution is essential for school personnel who serve on IEP Teams. This panel will feature a variety of speakers experienced in special education dispute resolution representing a wide spectrum of perspectives, including a mediator/facilitator, an attorney who routinely represents school districts in special education matters, and an attorney with years of experience representing parents and students in special education. The panel will be designed to help you prepare for these processes and will offer strategies for achieving resolutions to contentious matters.
3:10 p.m.
Adjourn