Menifee Union School District and Special Education Parent Advisory Committee

Joint-Communication

Return to School 2020-2021 SY                                                                      August 13, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians of Students with Special Needs in the Menifee Union School District,

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year! Due to the current unforeseen circumstances with the COVID19 Pandemic Health Crisis, our beginning of the school year plans have adjusted to fully supporting Distance Learning+ as our educational model for all students. To enhance the Distance Learning from the initial school closures back in March 2020, the MUSD Taskforce Committees provided input on training, curriculums, and instructional technology needs. We brought to the Board of Trustees for approval to hire an additional administrator to support Individual Education Plan meetings and another specialist to support the behavioral services and plans for students.

Additionally, our new Acting Director of Special Education, Dr. Julie Hong, created a Special Education Task Force to oversee the planning and preparation needed for Distance Learning+ for Special Education. With the support and collaboration of 23 Menifee Union School District (MUSD) Special Education staff and the input and feedback from our Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC), we created an MUSD Special Education Distance Learning Handbook document. The Handbook provides a clear outline of the use of evidence-based practices. Recommendations focus on applying Universal Design For

Learning (UDL) and implementing a highly structured virtual classroom with synchronous and asynchronous services. Further, resources are available on behavioral supports, specialized academic instruction, and teleservices that transfer live specialized instruction/services to an online format. Our goal is to provide individualized support that best meets our students' online needs, with coherence across the District.

Parents and guardians can expect a call from our service providers within the first two weeks of school. Parents are encouraged to discuss and collaborate with service providers on the Distance Learning+ service delivery options available, synchronous teleservices, asynchronous via Google Classroom, and setting up a communication system (via email, phone calls, or text messages) for feedback and input.

In addition, the SEPAC and the MUSD Education Services Directors will host a Q&A session on August 20, 2020, a Virtual SEPAC Meeting, from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. To join the meeting, please use this Google Meet Link https://meet.google.com/uhs-fcwy-xuv
Or dial: + 1 513- 970 - 3034 PIN: 54233262 9 #.
Please use this survey to submit your question. The SEPAC executive council will review your questions to ensure our time is used to answer as many questions as possible. The SEPAC will be actively moderating and facilitating the Q&A session observing norms of professional conduct by all members.

Lastly, please check out our new Special Education Website ! The website provides information about SEPAC, meeting dates, and previous notes for your review. The site will also host updated resources and links to tips and tricks from our Special Education experts.

Both SEPAC and the MUSD are here as your partners in the education of your precious students. We wish you a happy first day of school on August 14! And we hope to see you at our next SEPAC meeting.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Cate Dana, SEPAC Executive Council Chair

Dr. Kimberly Huesing, Assistant Superintendent of Ed. Services

Dr. Julie Hong, Director of Special Education