Leander ISD parents can learn more about consultant recommendations for the district special education services. The district is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, May 26 at 7pm on the latest report from Copia Consulting. Leander ISD is dedicating its next steps toward improving consistency, trust, and communication for students receiving special education services after a district-wide, parent-led effort to review practices and procedures.
“Continuous improvement is a cornerstone of our Leander ISD culture,” Superintendent of Schools Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. said. “We are grateful to our parents and families who worked with Copia to provide insight into our practices and recommendations for our special education services.”
The district will implement all seven recommendations from Copia Consulting, a third-party partner who worked with parents to evaluate special education services. The recommendations include:
- forging relationships with parents,
- improving communication,
- training general education teachers on special education services,
- creating materials for parents and teachers to inform about special education services,
- establishing a pre-ARD meeting process to aid parents before the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting between parents and school staff,
- redesigning the ARD process, and
- creating a parent group exclusively for special education parents.
“Our special education leaders, teachers, and support staff are ready for the opportunities listed in the Copia report to aid our service to children,” Executive Director of Special Programs Kimberly Waltmon said. “We know our entire district needs to come together to support all students. We are excited to continue our partnerships with parents and families to implement the Copia recommendations.”
Copia Consulting started working with LISD in October through a focus group of special education parents and the hosting of two symposiums for parents in December 2019 and January 2020. The district was well-intentioned and deliberately seeking feedback related to the desires and opinions of parents of students with special needs.
LISD will begin implementing service improvements in August 2020.
Leander ISD teachers and staff learned more about the Copia Report in a webinar, Wednesday, May 13 at 12 p.m. Students, parents, and community members looking to ask questions or share feedback can submit a dialogue in Let’s Talk.
