This session will address the legal issues in determining and implementing COVID compensatory services. We will also cover complicating factors (families not responding or students who are not a good fit for FAPE on a virtual basis), and how the factors affect consideration for comp services. Examining the guidance from OSEP and TEA, this session will also cover the different approaches to calculating COVID comp services, including the qualitative and quantitative approach. Lastly, the session will review the comp services caselaw to study how hearing officers and courts are responding to disputes over COVID comp services.

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unconventional!

MONDAY | FEB 8 | 11 AM pg1 Learning Labs

During these unprecedented times in education, school leaders are facing situations that have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Crisis brings stressful times but also opportunities for solutions. Join us for a think tank to identify creative solutions for addressing these leadership challenges: requests for compensatory services; staff stress levels and retention; equity for all students with current restrictions; loss of funding from decreased enrollment; and time and resources allocated to legal pursuits.

This session will present how HEB ISD designed a referral, assessment, and instructional program from the ground up to identify and instruct students with dysgraphia. Links to templates and documents, as well as district training videos, will be shared.

Missing important steps during a contentious ARD meeting can lead to legal liability. Elvin Houston and Andrea Gulley have been advising districts on how to staff and prepare for hard ARDs for years and look forward to sharing their strategies with participants in a fast-paced, practical session that will be fun and informative.

Images and stories of traumatic events such as the global pandemic, civil unrest, natural disasters and community violence have consumed the airwaves and social media. Educators, staff and

students are bombarded with these images daily as the trauma takes hold of their lives. This session will analyze the definition of trauma and discuss how traumatic events affect both

educators and students. The training will also give participants free tools to screen for trauma effects and strategies to reduce trauma.

Join Kelly Janes and Jamie Turner to share insights they learned from their two most recent due process hearings about dyslexia instruction and the characteristics of dyslexia that require intervention under the IDEA.

It’s 2021: Where Are We Now with Dyslexia? | Kelly Janes and Jamie Turner, Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle P.C.

DYSGRAPHIA: Building a Program from Scratch | Lilymar Benitez, M.A., M.Ed. and Cyndi Riggs, M.Ed., CALT,LDT, Hurst Euless Bedford ISD

Highly Effective Staffings: 7 Strategies to Prepare for ARDs | Elvin Houston and Andrea Gulley, Walsh GallegosTreviño Russo & Kyle P.C.

COVID Compensatory Services: Approaches, Factors & Cases | José Martín, Richards Lindsay & Martín, LLP

COVID Leadership Challenges: Out of the Box Solutions | Frances Stetson, Ph.D., Brian Malechuk, Ed.D.and Brandi Breaux, M.A., Stetson & Associates, Inc.

We know that disproportionality exists in special education because we see the data and can read the research, but we know very little about this topic from the parent's perspective. For my dissertation, I interviewed 12 Black parents to better understand the Autism Diagnosis process from their experiences. I will share the themes presented from the findings and ways that school staff can support parents in this process.

Autism Diagnosis from the Black Parent Perspective, Alexis McCoy, Keller ISD

Reviewing Practices to Identify Trauma and Support for Students and Educators Who Have Been Affected | Sonya Coe-Milo and

Stephanie O’Neal, Pasadena ISD

This session will give participants practical tips and strategies to effectively communicate with parents the actions that will be proposed by the ARD committee or that will be addressed by school district administration to respond the parent’s concerns.

This presentation will contain a model framework of transition planning for students with significant support needs (SSN) and working with school personnel, families and community agencies. The logic model illustrates Goals-Strategies-Inputs-Outputs and Outcomes and a strategic planning template. The ultimate goals of the program are participation within the community, growth and improved quality of life for individuals with SSN and families.

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MONDAY | FEB 8 | 11 AM AND 1:45PM pg2

MONDAY | FEB 8 | 1:45 PM

Learning Labs

Solvable Mysteries: When to ARD and When Not to ARD? | Eric Rodriguez and John Muniz, Walsh GallegosTreviño Russo & Kyle P.C.

Special education administrators are stretched like never before. They have been asked to reinvent special education in a virtual environment, address the fears and frustrations of teachers, staff, students, and parents, and complete numerous other firsts, all on a reduced budget. Leaders must cultivate resilience in themselves in order to lead through these challenging times. But resilience is not something we’re born with...it is learned. This session will provide participants with an understanding of the four domains of resiliency and will provide strategies and

The Circuit Courts, especially the Fifth Circuit, continue to be busy interpreting the IDEA. Join attorney Nona Matthews for this fast-paced review of recent Circuit Court decisions. Topics will include Child Find, evaluation, eligibility, ARD committee meeting procedure, the provision of a FAPE, discipline, least restrictive environment, and Section 504. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of lessons learned from the Circuit Courts and strategies for compliance with various procedural requirements of the IDEA.

Student learning loss as a result of the pandemic will be addressed through a thinking process that identifies the priorities for learning and necessary supports for each step of the learning progression. Strategies and tools for student engagement and for monitoring progress will be provided. Consideration is given to both socially distanced classrooms and the virtual environment. Participants can expect to leave with ideas for an action plan to address learning gaps.

Compensatory services in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic are serious business. They are needed to ensure students with disabilities receive the FAPE to which they are entitled – even in the midst of a world health crisis. Questions like “what are they called?” and “how much should be offered?” and “are they really compensatory?” are now being answered by Hearing Officers and judges across the U.S. In this interactive session, participants will learn about the new cases, share ideas, gain legal take-a-ways, and have fun with two dynamite presenters while doing so.

Stakeholder Framework of Transition for Students with Significant Support Needs | Elaine Osborne, Frisco ISD,Colleen Kugler, Prosper ISD

Understanding Resiliency and Building Your Resiliency Skills | Becky J. Moschgat, MA, Ed, ECE andDr. Cyndi Short, Stetson & Associates, Inc.

Update From the Courts that Count, Nona Matthews, Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle P.C.

An Action Plan for Addressing Pandemic Learning Loss | Brandi Breaux and Ann McIntyre, Stetson & Associates, Inc.

Compensatory Services in the Time of COVID -19 | Paula Maddox Roalson and Christina Garcia Henshaw,Walsh Gallegos Trevino Russo & Kyle P.C.

Directors dread getting a TEA complaint. The process can create strained relationships, and that doesn’t have to happen. Learn how a director and parents worked to resolve a complaint and then solved an immediate COVID problem. COVID required districts to quickly pivot to online instruction, so we worked to leverage parent experience by contracting with Drs. Unruh to utilize their expertise. The district overcame suspicion and resistance and teachers and students benefited from the willingness to work outside the conventional approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its resurgence late in the fall 2020 semester led many districts to institute mask requirements for staff and students. As the mask issue has polarized communities, those conflicts have manifested in disputes over school mask requirements, leading to injunction cases in Florida, Connecticut, and Ohio, to name a few. This session will review mask litigation claims, including the merits of various constitutional arguments, the CDC guidance on masks, appropriate disability-based exceptions to mask requirements, basing school policies on CDC guidance details, the role of ARD committees in mask disputes, and more.

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MONDAY | FEB 8 | 1:45 PM pg3 Learning Labs

This session will focus on how to leverage the high yield student expectations in IEP development and decision making. Participants will also explore ways to foster meaningful collaboration between special educators and classroom teachers and to provide effective specially designed instruction that is student driven and evidence based.

The special education complaint resolution process is one of four formal options for resolving special education disagreements offered by TEA. With statewide issues such as COVID-19 school closures, many districts across the state report an increase in the number of special education complaints filed against them. Along with basic facts about the complaint process, this session will focus on tips and strategies for districts at the various phases of the complaint process.

The discipline process for students receiving special education services often presents additional considerations, accompanied by regula-tions required for the Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) process. During this session, Trevor Hall will engagingly summarize the MDR, using real-life examples from actual cases across the country.

While many special education directors have experience in the classroom and are masters of compliance, curriculum and instruction, the world of evaluation reports remains bewildering. Elvin and Coleman will give participants the key questions they need to be asking evaluators so they can review evaluation reports with confidence.

Critical Questions Special Education Directors Should be Asking About Special Education Evaluations | ElvinHouston, Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle P.C., Dr. Coleman Heckman, LSSP, LPA, Northside ISD

From Complaints to Cohesive Collaboration During COVID-19 | Laurie Rodriguez, Dickinson ISD, Dr. TiffanyUnruh and Dr. Jeremy Unruh, Limitless Learning Solutions

Legal Issues Involving Mask Policies and Other School Reopening Issues | José Martín, Richards Lindsay & Martín, LLP

[re] Imagining Special Education: A Leader's Guide | Kathy Clapsaddle, lead4ward

Spill that TEA: Tips for Responding to TEA Complaints | Jennifer Carroll and John Muniz, Walsh Gallegos TrevinoRusso & Kyle P.C.

Student Discipline & Special Education: Manifestation Determination Reviews | Trevor B. Hall, Powell, Youngblood and Taylor, LLP

tota�y unconventional!

MONDAY | FEB 8 | 1:45 PM pg4 Learning Labs

Emergency plans for students with disabilities are often delegated to special education staff, but how do we ensure all adults on a campus know what to do for ALL students in an emergency? Join this session to discuss emergency plans for students with disabilities and how districts are implementing emergency plan discussions into ARD meetings.

During this session, hear from representatives from the Texas Education Agency, Sam Houston State University Garrett Center, and a member of the ESC leadership team as they review the key activities to develop statewide capacity for transition stakeholders in Texas. Tools developed in 2019-2020 will be showcased to introduce the tools and show where they can be found. The demonstration will include training tools, fact sheets, guides, newsletters, and the Regional Student Advisory Committees in each of the 20 ESCs in Texas. An overview will be also be provided of the tools being developed in 2020-2021 and the timelines in which the new tools will be available.

GREAT IDEAS 2021

This is Not a Drill: School Safety Plans for Students with Disabilities | Audrey Young, Nacogdoches ISD,Kristin McGuire, TCASE

Transition in Texas: 2020-2021 | Dr. Vickie Mitchell, Sam Houston State University, Susie May, Texas EducationAgency, Sandye Cox, ESC Region 10

No matter how quickly we predicted the accommodations and assistive technology our students with communication challenges would need during the challenges presented for remote instruction, we continue to encounter situations that alter our thinking. In this session, we will share some of the communication woes our students experienced during remote instruction. We will have a brief review of relevant case law addressing the effectiveness of remote instruction. Participants will have the chance to share their experiences and lessons learned, so we can all leave the session knowing more than we knew before.

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unconventional!

TUESDAY | FEB 9 | 11:15 AM pg5

Learning Labs Assistive Technology: Practical and Legal Lessons Learned | Jan Watson, Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle P.C.,

Susie Tiggs, ESC Region XI

Lawyers who are not educators speak at TCASE Conferences to educators who are not lawyers. Join Jim Walsh where he will provide insight as to how educators should listen to such presentations. What questions should be asked? What takeaways? What vocabulary is helpful?

Hear from legal experts about the ins and outs of special education dispute resolution procedures in the wake of COVID-19. Participants will grasp an understanding of overall trends related to pandemic-related due process hearings and complaints and will learn how to effectively navigate these issues should they arise.

This session will cover how a school district embarked on a journey to improve systems and processes for serving its students with disabilities. The presenters will discuss how the district began the continuous improvement process with a needs assessment obtained through an external review of the special education program and services. And how the results of the evaluation were then used to develop a vision for how the district would serve students receiving special education within the context of educating all students.

During this session participants will have the opportunity to experience social emotional competencies in action. They will learn about social emotional practices that have been implemented for self-contained staff members and their students with significant cognitive disabilities in one district. During the session, the district process for developing tools and strategies for the whole classroom will be shared.

Cheerful Mind, Cheerful Class: Bringing Awareness to Emotional Wellbeing | Kathleen Meadors & Stacie Bonner,Lubbock ISD

Lawyers Speak to Educators: How Should Educators Listen? | Jim Walsh, Walsh Gallegos Trevino Russo & Kyle P.C.

Post-Pandemic Pandemonium: Planning for What’s Next | Alyssa Sandersen and Holly Sherman, KarczewskiBradshaw Spalding

Pressure as Privilege: Making Systemic, Sustainable,& Continuous Improvement Sowmya Kumar, SystemicSpecial Education Support & Dr. Michael Webb, Tomball ISD

During this session, learn about the process one district took to identify weaknesses in their existing programming, the first steps in imple-menting plans to increase inclusive practices for students with significant cognitive delays, and the future steps to improve the continuum for all students with special needs. The presenters will share lessons learned, partnerships they made with families, and their long-term plans for continuing to serve students in the least restrictive environment.

tota�y unconventional!

TUESDAY | FEB 9 | 11:15 AM pg6

Learning Labs

Trauma impacts students in all learning settings, especially given the current climate of COVID-19. Understanding how this affects our most vulnerable populations is imperative. School districts need to be equipped with knowledge and evidence-based practices to meet the social-emotional needs of their students. This session will provide information on trauma, triggers, and treatments that work within all school settings.

As schools adapt to Results Driven Accountability (RDA) and the Effectiveness Phase of Education, resource allocation must be strategically calculated to capitalize on all possibilities. This session will focus on an alternative approach to SPED Budgeting, which involves preparatory planning, data driven decision making, and strategic actions for resource allocation.

Trauma Sensitive Special Education Services | Crystal Evans, Julie Gomez, and Ronelle Boyd, Dallas ISD

With a rapidly changing instructional landscape and constantly evolving methods for instructional delivery, educational leaders must ensure that all students have access to core content and that supports are in place to provide meaningful instruction. To ensure these circumstanc-es do not deepen instructional inequities, school leaders must navigate how to design and deliver accessible curriculum that can be adapted for any learner. Join us to engage in a conversation about continuous improvement in curriculum development and how you can build a culture of equity to support academic success for all students.

Wildly Important Goals to Support (WIGS) Student Equity | Dr. Kim Tunnell, Education Advanced, Inc., Tracy Cartasand Dr. Coral Wilkens, Frisco ISD

SPED Funding Master Class - Results Driven Budgeting | Dr. John C. Bullion, ESC Region 12, Sarah Jeter, ESCRegion 8, Les Lee Hill, ESC Region 17

Take a journey with Northside ISD and learn what they have done to onboard Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), Campus Administrators, and Special Education campus staff to ensure better understanding and implementation of specially designed instruction. The presenters will share what they have done to support special education teachers, district instructional leaders, and campus administrators as they strive to provide high-quality instruction for ALL students in virtual and hybrid settings. Finally, the presenters will share their next steps to ensure that they build upon the foundation they have established and ultimately achieve the goal of increased student progress and achievement.

Specially Designed Instruction in a Virtual Reality | Kristen Solis and Frances Patterson, Northside ISD

GREAT IDEAS 2021

Repurpose Your Staff and Flip Your Continuum to Increase Inclusion Without Breaking the Bank | Gena Koster,Tina Clark, and Kierra Edgar, Keller ISD

IEP Facilitation is not simply a set of strategies to use when an ARD meeting is in disagreement; it’s a set of preventative best practices. Facilitation techniques increase a leader’s ability to communicate effectively with a team while increasing the team’s ability to communicate with each other. By utilizing the art of IEP facilitation, leaders can prevent conflict, strengthen the parent/educator relationship, clarify decisions and “gray” areas, and foster consensus-building. This session will provide eight tried-and-true facilitation tips that will reinforce your listening skills while strengthening your verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

The IDEA toolkit is focused on meeting the core IDEA requirements that the TEA is focused on for their cyclical visits to school districts including Child Find, Student Evaluation, the ARD Process and monitoring and implementing IEPs. The presentation will share some of the different tools including checklists, FAQ documents and an Internal Auditing Document that can be used as a self-monitoring tool to assist your district in developing systems and practices with fidelity and consistency across all your special education programs.

tota�y unconventional!

TUESDAY | FEB 9 | 1:45 PM pg7 Learning Labs

This session will provide a legal and practical perspective regarding the ARD committee’s appropriate and effective consideration of compensatory education following school closures or distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees will have the opportunity to navigate the immediate and long-term needs of students with disabilities whose services may have been impacted by the pandemic.

During this session participants will learn about the development of the district curriculum maps in North East ISD. Hear how those maps led to the creation of the unit plan templates, and the ongoing training they provide our teachers and the support and assistance offered to them with unit planning.

As part of TEA’s Strategic Plan and Correction Action Response, school districts were required to develop and publish special education operating procedures so that they are available to all key stakeholders. Making sure these procedures are legally compliant, understand-able, and relatable to your school district requires a careful review of the laws and the specific implementation of these procedures within your school district. In this session, we will provide the legal requirements and insight into the development and/or review of your district’s special education procedures to include an overview of approaches to meeting this TEA requirement.

Elvin and Priscilla will lead an entertaining and informative discussion of everything about the school’s maintenance and creation of records that make school lawyers crazy. From a single text message to 10,000 pages of e-mail, Elvin and Priscilla will wade through it all to keep you safe from FERPAgeddon!

A Tool Kit for Meeting the Core IDEA Requirements: Working Smarter - Not Harder! | Dr. Brian Malechuk,Stetson and Associates

Compensatory Education - To Owe or Not to Owe | Pam Kaminsky, Rogers, Morris & Grover, LLP

2, 4, 6, 8! We Should All Facilitate! Leadership Tips for Tough Conversations | Anissa Moore, Educational Consultant

Curriculum Design to Increase Quality of Instruction in Life Skills Classrooms | Jana Severyns and Stephanie Garza,North East ISD

Developing Legally Compliant and Understandable Special Education Operating Procedures | Dr. Karlyn Keller,TASB Student Solutions, Dianna Bowen, Thompson & Horton LLP

FERPAgeddon: Legal Misadventures in the World of Student Records | Elvin Houston and Priscilla de la Garza,Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle P.C.

Learning LabsTUESDAY | FEB 9 | 1:45 PM pg8

How To Organize & Utilize A Dream Team | Audrey Rek and Laureen Owen, Northside ISD

Yes, We Have Identification Disproportionality. Yes, We Must Change | Beth Darbe, Tomball ISD

Special education departments have a lot of responsibilities from campus support, instruction, staying up-to-date on best practices, compli-ance for ARDs, State Performance Plan Indicators, and the list goes on. How does one best manage all of the department staff to accom-plish everything? Come learn from the mistakes and successes of a fellow district who has organized an efficient Dream Team!

Images and stories of social injustices and political divides have consumed the airways and social media amid a global pandemic and civil unrest. Educators, staff and students are bombarded with these images daily and carry their fears, frustrations, and anxieties into our hallways and classrooms. This session will analyze the data deriving from PLAAFP's, privileges and potential so educators can provide appropriate social, emotional learning interventions based on Maslow's Hierarchy of needs to influence social justice and equity in our hallways.

The Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training (TSLAT), in conjunction with the Texas Education Agency, provides free autism training, support, and resources for educators and families across Texas. During this session participants will learn about the resources and supports that are available to you, your educators, and your families. Learn about what you can use today!

The over-identification of autism in Asian student populations is a unique and under-researched topic that has taken many school districts by surprise. Why are so many school districts identifying autism in Asian students at 2-3 times the rate they are identifying autism in other races and ethnicities? This session will explore the issue, the possible causes, and solutions that districts can take to reverse this unique trend.

PLAAFP’s, Privileges, and Potential: Providing SEL Strategies while Influencing Social Justice and Equity in OurHallways | Sonya Coe-Milo, Pasadena ISD

Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training: What YOU Can Use Today! | Darcy Schiller, Texas StatewideLeadership for Autism Training (TSLAT)

tota�y unconventional!

GREAT IDEAS 2021