2013 Mini-Courses

Monday, October 7, 2013

8:00 am Registration Desk Opens
8:00 am – 9:00 am Coffee and tea service

9:00 am – 11:00 am Morning Mini-Courses

1. Special Education 101- IDEA
   Art Cernosia, Attorney/Education Consultant, Williston, Vermont
   An introductory level mini-course on Special Education with an emphasis on what attorneys, educators, and parents need to know regarding the educational legal rights and entitlements of children with disabilities. (Designed to be taken with Special Education 102.)
2. Developing and Writing Appropriate IEPS – A Different Perspective
   Diane Wiscarson, Attorney at Law, Wiscarson Law, Portland, Oregon
   Learn how a parent attorney reviews IEPs when counseling parents and attending IEP meetings. This practical mini-course will scrutinize IEP legal requirements under the IDEA, including IEP content requirements, developing present level statements linked to student performance and measurable goals, and effective processes for writing IEPs that are accurate, appropriate, descriptive, and measurable.
3. Transition:  Enhancing the Postsecondary Success of Students with Disabilities Darcy Kriha, Attorney at Law, Franczek Radelet & Rose P.C., Chicago, IL
   An intermediate level mini-course covering the topic of transition. This session will highlight not only the legal requirements imposed by IDEA 2004 to enhance the successful transition of students with disabilities but will also include challenges presented by graduation, testing/evaluation and provision of services. Because transition issues are increasingly being litigated, this session will include common sense advice to help bolster the school district’s position when a dispute arises.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm Lunch Break

Lunch on your own

12:45 pm – 2:45 pm Early Afternoon Mini-Courses

4. Special Education 102 -Section 504 and Disability Discrimination
   Art Cernosia, Attorney/Education Consultant, Williston, Vermont
   A introductory level mini-course introducing Section 504. This session will highlight the requirements of both the statute and it’s implementing regulations and will offer insight into the duty to provide a free appropriate public education under Section 504, the duty to not discriminate, and a look at broader issues where the IDEA and 504 intersect. (Designed to be taken with Special Education 101.)
5. Bullying and Disability Harassment in School and Beyond!
   Julie Weatherly, Attorney at Law, Resolutions in Special Education, Inc., Mobile, Alabama
   Unfortunately, bullying is making big headlines, with several recent suicides calling our attention to the sometimes tragic consequences of cruel behavior on the part of students and even school staff.  In addition, when the victim is a student with a disability, the potential for civil rights violations and school personnel liability is exponentially increased.  How to handle bullying behavior generally, including how it pertains to technology and the realm of cyber bullying will be covered, as well as a discussion of what OCR and the courts expect school officials to do.  In addition, the impact of bullying on the provision of FAPE will be examined.
6. Behavior and Discipline Issues for Students with Special Needs
   Chris Hirst, Attorney at Law, Partner, K&L Gates LLP, Seattle, Washington
   A  basic level mini-course overviewing the discipline legal requirements under  IDEA, including process & content for Honig Injunctions, Functional  Behavior Assessments (FBAs) & Alternative Interim Education Placements  (AIEPs), behavior intervention plans, and practice suggestions for avoidance of  successful legal challenges.
7. Matching Students to Tier 2 Interventions Prior to Considering Special Education
   Clayton Cook, Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, College of Education, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
   This presentation will discuss the importance of Tier 2 supports within an RTI-based, multi-tiered system of support. Attendees will learn how to match at-risk students to Tier 2 supports from a menu of interventions and monitor their progress in response to the interventions./li>

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm Coffee Break

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Late Afternoon Mini-Courses

8. Avoiding Conflict while Creating a Collaborative Environment
   Phoebe Redmond, Assistant General Counsel, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV and Michael Harley, Compliance Officer, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV
   A practical  mini-course about dealing with challenging situations-both involving parents and district staff. Practical suggestions on how to avoid “conflict” and negative relationships. How to manage difficult situations once they have already been created will also be discussed.Lessons learned from the fifth largest district in the US.
9. RTI for Students with Intense Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
   Diana Browning Wright, Educational/Behavioral Consultant, Sierra Madre, CA            This Mini-course will review the 10 elements in the classroom that not only reduce behavioral problems, but also gain skills that begin to reduce, and potentially heal the disturbance that required restrictive settings. Also learn which students need additional tiers of support, and how to use existing school based personnel to provide services.
10. Ethics Seminar: Ethics and Professional Responsibility  in the Practice of Special Education Law
    Graham Hicks, Attorney at Law,  Graham M. Hicks, P.C., Beaverton, Oregon and Diane Wiscarson, Attorney at Law,  Wiscarson Law, Portland, Oregon
    An interactive ethics seminar specially designed for attorneys to meet State Bar Association CLE program standards; includes problems and hypotheticals with ethical considerations based on real life school law practice; issue identification, participant discussion; and recommended professional practices.