Community Advisory Committee - Shasta County SELPA

Shasta County

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

SELPA Office

3570 Rancho Road, Ste. 9
Redding, CA 96002
Phone: (530) 225-0100
Fax: (530) 225-0105

Parents are encouraged to be an active member of their child's educational community. The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) acts in an advisory capacity to the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). Shasta CAC supports individuals with exceptional needs and their families who live in Shasta County. This committee provides an opportunity for parents, special education teachers, general education teachers, other school personnel, representatives of related public/private agencies, school administrators and other community members to provide important input as it relates to our special education programs.

Shasta CAC meetings are open to the public. All interested parents, teacher, students, community members, and anyone who has an interest in special education are encouraged to attend.

The Shasta CAC has responsibilities under California Education Code 56194 that include, but are not limited to:

assisting in parent education supporting activities on behalf of individuals with exceptional needs
recommending annual priorities or focus for the SELPA
providing input to the Shasta SELPA Local Plan revisions Members include parents of students with disabilities and parents of other students, teachers and administrators of both special education and regular education, and representatives from other interested agencies. At least one-half of the Shasta SELPA CAC is composed of parents.

The Shasta CAC has a seven-member Governing Board. There is also a one-year general membership for any person attending a meeting. The Shasta CAC conducts at least four business meetings held during the school year. The meetings are open to all and are conducted in a facility that meets the American Disability Act standards. The Shasta CAC sponsors events and activities designed to support awareness of parent rights, services available within the community, and general disability awareness. The Shasta CAC provides legislative advocacy on issues affecting services to students with disabilities.

CAC Parent Letter 2024-25
CAC Bylaws
CAC Guidelines

Parent Rights

Parents' Rights

A brief summary of Procedural Safeguards for students with disabilities receiving special education services.

Parents of children with disabilities from ages three through twenty-one have specific educational rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These rights are called procedural safeguards. Individuals serving as surrogate parents and students aged eighteen receiving special education services, are also entitled to these rights.

A number of staff in the child’s district and special education local plan area (SELPA) may answer questions about the child’s education and the parents' rights and responsibilities. When the parent has a concern, it is important that they contact their child’s teachers or administrators to talk about their child and any problems they see. This conversation often solves the problem and helps maintain open communication.

Parents must be given opportunities to participate in any decision-making meeting regarding their child’s special education program. Parents have the right to participate in individualized education program (IEP) meetings about the special education eligibility, assessment, educational placement of their child and other matters relating to their child’s free appropriate public education (FAPE).

When a parent cannot be identified or located, a district may appoint a surrogate parent to represent a child with a disability.

What Are Parents' Rights in California Special Education?

Parents and students over age eighteen have the right

To Participate

Parents have the right to refer their child for special education services, to participate in the development of the IEP and to be informed of all program options and alternatives, both public and nonpublic.

To Receive Prior Written Notice

Parents have a right to receive prior written notice, in their native language, when the school district initiates or refuses their request to initiate a change in their child’s identification, assessment, or educational placement in special education.

To Consent

Parents must provide informed, written consent before their child is assessed or provided with any special education services. Parental consent must also be provided before any change in special education services may occur. The district must ensure that parents understand proceedings of the IEP team meeting including arranging for an interpreter for parents with deafness or those whose native language is other than English.

To Refuse to Consent

Parents may refuse to consent to an assessment or the placement of their child in special education.

To Be Given a Nondiscriminatory Assessment

Children must be assessed for special education through the use of methods that are not culturally biased or discriminatory.

To Receive Independent Educational Assessments

If parents disagree with the results of the assessment conducted by the school district, they have the right to ask for and obtain an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense.

The parent is entitled to only one IEE at public expense each time the public agency conducts an evaluation with which the parent disagrees.

When a parent requests an IEE at public expense, the school district must, without unnecessary delay, either ensure that an IEE is provided at public expense, or request a due process hearing if the district believes their assessment was appropriate and disagrees that an IEE is necessary. The school district also has the right to establish the standards or criteria (including cost and location) for IEEs at public expense.

To Access Educational Records

Parents have a right to inspect, review, and obtain copies of their child’s educational records.

To Stay in the Current Program If There is a Disagreement About Placement

If parents disagree with the district regarding their child’s special education placement or a proposed change in placement, the law requires the student to “stay put” in the current program until the dispute is resolved.

To Be Given a Hearing Regarding Disagreements About an IEP

Parents have the right to present a complaint relating to the provision of a FAPE for their child; to have an attorney, an advocate, and the student, if appropriate, present at the due process hearing; and to make the hearing public. Under certain conditions, the hearing officer may award, reduce, or deny the reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and fees paid to nonpublic institutions by parents in the settlement of a case. To request a due process hearing or to receive a complete notice of procedural safeguards related to a due process hearing, contact the Office of Administrative Hearings (see contact information below).

To Receive Mediation

Parents are encouraged to consider settling disagreements regarding their child’s special education program through voluntary mediation, a process through which parties seek mutually agreeable solutions to disputes with the help of an impartial mediator. Parents may seek mediation alone or separate from due process, or they may participate in mediation pending a due process hearing. Mediation cannot be used to delay parents right to a due process hearing.

To File a Complaint Against Your School District

If parents believe their child’s school district has violated the law, they may file a complaint with the California Department of Education. The Department must investigate complaints alleging violations of noncompliance with IDEA, state special education laws, or regulations, and issue a written report of findings within 60 days of receiving the complaint.

To Be Informed of School Discipline and Alternative Placement

There are specific rules regarding the suspension and expulsion of students with IEPs. Generally, a student with a disability may be suspended or placed in an alternative educational setting to the same extent that these options apply to students without disabilities.

If the student with a disability is in such a placement for more than ten days, an IEP meeting must be held to consider the appropriateness of the child’s current placement and the extent to which the disability is the cause of the misconduct. Regardless of the child’s placement, the district must provide FAPE

To Be Informed of Policies Regarding Children Who Attend Private Schools

School districts are responsible for identifying, locating and assessing students with disabilities enrolled in private schools by their parents. However, school districts are not required to provide special education or related services to these students. There is no entitlement for services, though some private schools and students attending private schools may receive some services from the school district.

Additional Resources

This notice is an abbreviated summary of procedural safeguards under federal and state laws (20 USC Section 1415(d); 34 CFR 300.504; EC sections 56301(d)(2), 56321, and 56341.1(g)(1)). Special Education Rights of Parents and Children, a more extensive description of these rights, is available from the California Department of Education, Special Education Division.

To obtain more information about parental rights or dispute resolution, including how to file a complaint, contact the California Department of Education, Special Education Division, Procedural Safeguards Referral Service, by telephoning 800-926-0648 or writing to:

California Department of Education
Special Education Division
Procedural Safeguards Referral Service
1430 N Street, Suite 2401
Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: 800-926-0648
Fax: 916-327-3704

To file for mediation or a due process hearing, contact:

Office of Administrative Hearings
Special Education Division
2349 Gateway Oaks, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95833-4231
Telephone: 916-263-0880
Fax: 916-263-0890

Parent Trainings

Dispute Resolution

MEDIATION PRINCIPLES
The goal of parents and schools is to be child-centered. Our purpose is to resolve special education disagreements between family and schools at the local school site level. However, when this is not possible, mediation is a strategy that parents and school staff can use to resolve their differences without intervention from the State Department of Education.

THE MEDIATORS
The mediators in Shasta County have received extensive training in areas critical to the mediation process, including collaborative problem solving, identifying interests, separating substantive issues from emotional ones, creating open and respectful discussions and formulating lasting agreements. For more information on the mediators or the training process, please contact the SELPA office.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT MEDIATION

What is Mediation?
Mediation is a process for resolving disagreements at the school, district or regional level.

Does a Parent or a District have to participate in Mediation?
No, mediation is a voluntary, confidential process. Participating in mediation does not change the rights of a parent, guardian or district to request a due process hearing or to file a complaint.

What does Mediation look like?
Mediation involves the two parties sitting down together and identifying the concerns that have brought them together. With the help of the mediator they work toward reaching an agreement that both parties can accept.

Is there a cost for participating in Mediation?
No, not beyond the time it takes to participate in the process.

Who are the Mediators?
Trained mediators include parents, district staff members and/or a SELPA representative.

How long does Mediation take to convene?
The SELPA representative will convene the mediation within 15 business days, at a location agreeable to all parties.

How long does it take?
Most meetings take between two and six hours. Both parties may agree to reconvene with a reasonable period of time, if needed.

What happens if an agreement is reached?
The mediator will write up the agreement and have both parties sign and date. Copies are distributed to both parties.

Is an agreement legally binding?
No, but it represents a commitment on the part of each party to make an honest attempt to resolve their differences. If either party chooses to violate the agreement, due process or the complaint processes are still available. Unless otherwise specified, the agreement is typically considered to be confidential.

Essential Facilitation for the IEP Meeting Process
The IEP meeting is a process in which team members work towards making consensus-based decisions collaboratively. Too often for parents and school staff, the immediate expectation and anticipation for an upcoming IEP meeting is conflict and confrontation, rather than IEP team collaboration. Essential Facilitation assists IEP teams in the development of positive and productive relationships.

The Facilitators
The facilitators in Shasta County have all received extensive training in the use of facilitation skills to make meetings run smoothly, efficiently, and collaboratively. Facilitators provide expert guidance that's often needed by utilizing an Action Plan in order to focus on student needs, while building shared understanding and small agreements throughout the meeting process. For more information on the facilitators or the training process, please contact the SELPA office.

To learn more about ADR activities in the Shasta SELPA, contact the Shasta County SELPA Director at (530) 225-0100

CAC Members

Sarah Spencer, Chairperson Lisa Bocast, Vice Chairperson Abigail Kunkler, Treasurer (Vacant), Secretary (Vacant), LEA Representative

Susan Hayes, Agency Representative - Rowell Family Empowerment Susan Putnam, Agency Representative - Far Northern Regional Center Suz Crane, Workability - Fall River JUSD Geralyn Elliott, Workability - Shasta SELPA

Responsibilities of CAC Members The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) shall have the authority and fulfill the responsibilities that are defined for it in the local plan. The responsibilities shall include, but need not be limited to, all the following: A. Advising the policy and administrative entity of the district, special education local plan area, or county office, regarding the development, amendment, and review of the local plan. Review of programs under such plan, the selection of the SELPA Director. The CAC participates with the SELPA Director in implementing the CAC’s responsibilities. The entity shall review and consider comments from the Community Advisory Committee. B. Recommending annual priorities to be addressed by the plan. C. Assisting in parent education and in recruiting parents and other volunteers who may contribute to the implementation of the plan. D. Encouraging community involvement in the development and review of the local plan. E. Supporting activities on behalf of individuals with exceptional needs. F. Assisting in parent awareness of the importance of regular school attendance. Would You Like to Become a Member of the CAC? General membership is open to parents, professionals, agencies, and others interested in assisting individuals with exceptional needs in Shasta County. Persons interested in serving as a CAC Board member must attend at least two consecutive meetings of the CAC prior to submitting their name for a board vacancy. If you would like to become a general member or board member of the Shasta CAC, please contact the SELPA office at (530) 225-0100 during usual business hours and provide the following information: Name Address City, State, Zip Phone Number Board or General Member

2024-25 MEETING SCHEDULE

SELPA Conference Room
3570 Rancho Road, Ste. 9; Redding, CA 96002
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Schedule

September 11, 2024

November 13, 2024

January 8, 2025

March 12, 2025 - Postponed to March 19, 2025

May 14, 2025

June 11, 2025 - CANCELED

Copies of Agendas including attachments, previous Agendas, or Minutes can be requested from the SELPA Office.