4/24/2020

Dear Families,

Welcome back to what I imagine has been a challenging week of returning to the structures and (perhaps) unwelcome routines of our new learning environment. I hope that some of our students were happy to be back but I know that many have struggled after having briefly tasted freedom! I would imagine that many of us as adults felt the same way. Waking up on Monday and remembering that you are still parent, teacher and (in many cases) wage earner for the family is a sobering thought. I hope that the “vacation” week allowed you a little bit of a reprieve from at least one of those responsibilities.

I have been keeping up with state guidance and it is trickling in but there are still many unanswered questions, not the least of which is, will we be returning to the classrooms this year? Having no definitive answer yet, and In the interest of moving forward in our planning for students with special needs, I have been meeting with pupil services personnel to determine how to meet our legal responsibilities in good faith and with meaningful outcomes.

At the start of this “interim” period of social distancing, all PPTs were held in abeyance. It provided us the opportunity to get right to work with our students and I am incredibly proud of the response of our special educators. They are working harder than ever and are determined to provide the best services to their students during these unprecedented times. Now I am asking to add more to their day by announcing that we will begin holding PPTs next week.

The Connecticut Bureau of Special Education guidance recommends that prior to districts convening a PPT, they are certain of the safety, privacy, and meaningful participation of its members. There needs to be a clear purpose for the PPT (such as an annual review, triennial or graduation) and enough data available to inform present levels of academic and behavioral performance.

Special education personnel met this past week to review the meetings that have been missed as well as the meetings that are mandated to occur prior to the end of the school year. Plans for scheduling are being developed based upon the factors mentioned above. If your student meets one of these conditions, you will be hearing from either a secretary or your student’s case manager to arrange scheduling. If the special education team does not have the necessary data to move forward in revising the IEP, that decision will be discussed with you in a phone conversation or via a virtual meeting with the case manager and others as needed.

Please understand that this new addition to the regular school day may mean that there will be times when your student’s services are cancelled for the day. This will depend upon the number of meetings that have to be scheduled and the availability of all required participants. This is not unlike what happens over the course of the regular school year with the difference being that teachers and students are not necessarily following their regular schedules.

If you have concerns about your student’s status, feel free to reach out to their case manager. If your student’s annual review is in May or June, I respectfully request that you wait until then to do so. Students whose meeting dates have passed will be scheduled first whenever it is possible to do so.

I know that some of you are also thinking about your student’s transition to a new school next year, and what that will look like. We are thinking about that as well, and have been having conversations since January to prepare. While some activities may not be possible, we will do the best we can to meet everyone’s needs. When we know more, I will be sure to let you know.

Above all, stay safe and stay well.

Sincerely,

Aimee

Aimee Martin

Director of Pupil Personnel Services

martinad@granby.k12.ct.us