For this webinar series, participants will automatically be enrolled in all 5 sessions.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

SpeakerS
  • Kathryn Kurtz, Ph.D., NCSP, Project Director, BIRCh Project
  • Cathy Lawson, Ed.D., Executive Director, SEEM Collaborative
  • Amy Scolaro, M.Ed., Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Marshfield Public Schools
  • Mary Ellen Sowyrda, Esq., Partner, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey and Lehane, LLP       
  • Felicia Vasudevan, Esq., Partner, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey and Lehane, LLP
  • Michael Welch, M.Ed.    
  • Sara Whitcomb, Ph.D., BIRCh Project
Description

Special Education brings together teachers, parents, administrators, specialists and advocates, often with competing interests. For that reason, the special education process is fraught with situations where disagreement and conflict may emerge despite the common goal to meet each student’s educational needs. In this webinar series, presenters will offer practical strategies to promote honest and respectful communications and to resolve conflicts between parents and staff in a positive manner.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must attend all 5 sessions and successfully pass a quiz following Session 5. Following the live webinar, registrants will be emailed a link to view the recorded webinar. The recording will be made available for 7 days after each session.

Special education service delivery is a partnership and collaboration between school personnel and parents is imperative. Collaboration is characterized by all participants feeling that their contributions are valued, that decision-making is shared, the goal is clear and communications and discussions are respectful.  In this session, the presenters will address ways to build parents’ trust and foster a productive working relationship.

Federal and state legislation dictates the process of evaluating students to determine eligibility for special education services and, if found eligible, what these services will be. This session will demystify the process, with a focus on how evaluations may inform best educational practices in the classroom and special education services.

The Team meeting is a key component of determining eligibility for special education services and what those services will entail. The procedures and processes to conduct Team meetings is centered around respecting the parent and student voice. This session will focus on the components of a successfully run Team meeting and how to assure that the multi-disciplinary process yields a comprehensive IEP.

The Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) conducts due process hearings and renders rulings and decisions concerning eligibility, evaluation, placement, IEPs, provision of special education and procedural protections for students with disabilities. Presenters will discuss how accessing BSEA resources, such as mediation, are often effective and may help reduce costs associated with conflicts between parents and the school.

During collective bargaining negotiations, the relationship between associations and school administrations/school committees is complicated and, unfortunately, frequently becomes adversarial. Recent teachers strikes in Massachusetts have heightened anxiety in many districts, and there are patterns in these situations that can be difficult to understand when things flare up. Unions have created important workplace protections and elevated the conditions under which educators operate. They promote the establishment and maintenance of conditions for student learning from preschool through graduate school. During a contentious negotiations process, good communication between associations and school administration, including school committees, is vital to achieving public education environments that provide a safe and supportive educational environment for all students, including students with disabilities. This session will explore how and why these situations develop, and how to best navigate the challenges that arise. 

About the SpeakerS

Kathryn Kurtz, Ph.D., NCSP (she/her) serves as the Project Director of the BIRCh Project. She completed her doctorate in school psychology at UMass Boston, where she trained with the Boston Public Schools’ Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model, the Home for Little Wanderers, and Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health. Kurtz’s work as a school psychologist in the Minneapolis and Boston Public Schools informs her clinical practice and research in the areas of comprehensive school mental health, cross-system collaboration, the cultural and contextual adaptation of interventions for implementation in urban communities, Tier 2 interventions targeting internalizing problems, and effective and efficient teaming and training practices.

Cathy Lawson, Ed.D., (she/her) has been in special education for 27 years, working in many roles, including teaching, assessment, and administration. She has been in her current role as the Executive Director of SEEM Collaborative since 2010. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member in the education programs at Lesley University and Cambridge College.  Her passion is developing specialized programs for students with moderate and severe disabilities from preschool through high school and supporting districts and staff in developing their capacity to create inclusive learning environments that support all learners.

As the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services for Marshfield Public Schools, Amy Scolaro, M.Ed., (she/her) oversees the district’s special education services and programs for students from Pre-K through age 22. In her role as the district-wide special education administrator, Mrs. Scolaro is dedicated to ensuring that every student receives a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. She collaborates closely with teams of special education teachers, general education teachers, related service providers, students, and parents/guardians. Together, they develop Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) that outline educational goals and objectives to meet each student’s unique needs.  Before assuming her position, Mrs. Scolaro spent sixteen years as a general and special education teacher and served eleven years as an elementary school principal. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Bridgewater State College, a Master of Education from Harvard University, and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Eastern Nazarene College.

Mary Ellen Sowyrda, Esq. (she/her) is a partner at the firm and heads the Special Education Department within Murphy, Hesse, Toomey and Lehane, LLP, which currently represents approximately 160 school districts and educational collaboratives in the field of Special Education Law. She is involved in all aspects of litigation including hearings, mediations, pre-hearing conferences with the Bureau of Special Education Appeals and court cases. She provides clients with daily advice on school-related legal issues and deals with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Bureau of Special Education Appeals, and other state agencies that involve the provision of special education services to students. She conducts workshops for clients on such special education topics as discipline, inclusion, procedural issues, strategies to avoid hearings and to prepare for hearings, recent trends in the law, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act and ongoing changes in regulations. Ms. Sowyrda also conducts workshops on these same topics before national groups such as Lorman Education Services, Inc., and the National Business Institute. Ms. Sowyrda is a Phi Beta Kappa summa cum laude graduate of Boston College and a graduate of Boston College Law School. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the American Bar Association and has been named a Super Lawyer by Boston Magazine for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Felicia S. Vasudevan, Esq., (she/her) is an attorney in Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane’s Education Law and Special Education Law Groups. Ms. Vasudevan represents school districts in all aspects of special education litigation, from administrative hearings at the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) through to all levels of judicial appeal. She represents school districts in matters of student discipline, civil rights issues, collective bargaining, public procurement, and employment issues. She presents workshops on issues such as conducting investigations, evaluations, special education, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, state and federal student record regulations, bullying, and civil rights laws. Prior to law school, she taught high school mathematics for two years in San Jose, California, as part of Teach for America, and trained the incoming Teach for America Corps Members at Teach for America’s Summer Institute.

Michael Welch, M.Ed., (he/him) brings 35+ years of experience as an educational leader in Massachusetts, focusing primarily on the district and secondary levels.  He holds a Master’s degree in Administration from Harvard University, and recently retired from a lengthy stint as Superintendent of the Dedham Public Schools.  His administrative experiences include extended roles as High School Principal in Newton and Framingham, and also many years of experience in the classroom as a middle and high school Physics teacher.  Mike is also a seasoned faculty member of the ACCEPT Educator Leadership Institute where he instructs and coaches teachers as they pursue administrative licensure.  His areas of expertise include: organizational structures and teams, leadership coaching, union relationships and budgeting/finance.

Sara Whitcomb, Ph.D., (she/her) is a licensed psychologist, associate director of research and evaluation with Boston Children’s Hospital’s Neighborhood Partnerships Program, and co-director of the BIRCh Center at UMass Boston. Prior to her current role, she was a professor in the UMass Amherst school psychology program and a teacher in general and special education settings in Oregon, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Dr. Whitcomb’s research and practice interests are in behavioral assessment, social-emotional learning, and organizational consultation in schools. She has authored a number of texts and journal articles on these topics and has consulted with over 100 school districts in Massachusetts to build capacity to meet all students’ behavioral health needs.

evaluation
session 1 slides
session 2 slides

Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must pass the quiz.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.

  • Enrollment in this course closed on 10/28/2024.

All sessions are 12:00 – 2:00 pm

  • Session 1: October 28, 2024, Initial Orientation to Special Education: Building Trust, Mary Ellen Sowyrda, Esq., Felicia Vasudevan, Esq. and Cathy Lawson, M.Ed.
  • Session 2: November 25, 2024, Demystifying Special Education Evaluations, Kathryn Kurtz, Ph.D., NCSP and Sara Whitcomb
  • Session 3: December 16, 2024, The Team Meeting Process, Mary Ellen Sowyrda, Esq., Amy Scolaro, M.Ed. and Felicia Vasudevan, Esq.
  • Session 4: January 27, 2025, Utilizing the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) to Resolve Conflict, Amy Scolaro, M.Ed., Mary Ellen Sowyrda, Esq. and Felicia Vasudevan, Esq.
  • Session 5: February 24, 2025, Collaborative Communication In Challenging Circumstances, Michael Welch, M.Ed.