Minutes, SEPAC Executive Board Meeting 5/23/2010

Final Minutes for the SEPAC Executive Board Meeting of May 23, 2010

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. with a quorum of Executive Board members. Five officers of the board were present and one parent representative, providing a quorum of officers.

Acceptance of Meeting Minutes
Unanimous acceptance of SEPAC Board meeting minutes 4/28.

Process
Meeting Minutes
The board discussed the process by which we will make SEPAC Board meeting minutes available. There is some concern that draft minutes could lead to misunderstandings if they are inaccurate. It was decided that meeting minutes will be typed up as soon as practicable after the meeting and available in draft format by request, and clearly marked as such. Approved meeting minutes will be posted on the SEPAC website for public access.

Decision Making
The board discussed the process by which we should make decisions and take on responsibilities. It was pointed out that the proposed by laws clearly define the roles each board member plays.

Communication of SEPAC Information
The issue of who and how we communicate with the community at large was introduced. Some board members voiced concerns that board members may be put in a difficult position if they interact regularly or work with school administrators, and are then asked for information about the topics discussed at SEPAC board meetings. There was also concern about the necessity of keeping personal information confidential.

The board articulated the following policies:

1. If asked about the proceedings at a SEPAC board meeting, board members may reference the published agenda of the meeting and refer the interested party to the SEPAC Board Meeting Minutes. Any further inquiries will be referred to the SEPAC Co-Presidents.
2. Unless otherwise directed, the SEPAC Co-Presidents are responsible for communicating information to the press and the community at large.

It was pointed out that according to the MassPAC SEPAC Leadership Guide school administrators do not have to be admitted for membership in SEPAC.

Intra-board Communications
The board reviewed the Open Meeting Law guidelines for communication. It was pointed out that the law requires all discussions among a quorum of the board to be held in an open meeting. Meetings are defined as a “corporal convening,” which precludes the possibility of using email or online groups to discuss board matters among the group. The following guidelines were developed:

1. Email discussions may occur between the two co-presidents with a co-secretary cc’d on the communication without violating the law. This is often necessary for planning and organizing.
2. The co-secretaries will maintain an archive of email messages.
3. The Google Group will be used as a storehouse for documents and information, but may not be used for discussion of issues among the members.
4. A notice of board meetings will be sent out with a proposed agenda one week before each meeting, at which point members will be asked for input and additions to the agenda.

All of the above guidelines (Meeting Minutes, Decision Making, Communication of SEPAC Information, and Intra-board Communications) were unanimously approved by the board.

Proposed Meeting with JoAnn Smith
The discussion turned to the proposed meeting between JoAnn Smith and SEPAC representatives. Despite the board’s previous vote to involve the entire SEPAC board in the meeting, Ms. Smith has requested that the meeting involve only the SEPAC Co-Presidents and a Co-Secretary as minutes-taker.

There were two areas of concern raised by board members. First, there was discomfort about the potential of a subset of the board overturning the vote of the larger voting group, especially given the depth of feeling that was evident in the previous discussion; transparency is a critical point of concern. Second, there was a desire to ensure that SEPAC be able to decide the manner in which it engages with school administration.

A compromise proposal to allow the board to observe without participation was discussed and dismissed as contrary to the above concerns.

A unanimous vote reinforced the decision to agree to meet with Ms. Smith only as the entire board.

Agenda Items for Meeting with Ms. Smith
A preliminary agenda and requests for the meeting with Ms. Smith were proposed and discussed:

• To gain the administration’s support in actively soliciting parents of children receiving Special Education services to become members of SEPAC. Request that a SEPAC brochure be sent along with all IEP meeting notices and available to parents at IEP meetings.
• To request funding for MassPAC’s Membership Plus program, at a cost of $450.
• Discussion of the reading of norms at IEP Meetings, which are read at meetings only inconsistently and are thus not fairly applied.
• Involving paraprofessionals in team meetings.
• SEPAC members and parents of children receiving Special Education services should be involved in all assessments of school services.
• All assessments of services should be posted on the district’s website in a timely manner.
• Request a chain of command organization chart for special education personnel in each school, as well as documentation of certifications and training for each individual.

Potential times and locations were discussed. It was generally agreed that the meeting location should be a neutral location, not in the administration offices. There was some concern about a pattern of meetings being held during normal working hours because it is difficult for many members to attend, but the consensus was that it would be acceptable if this particular meeting were to be held during working hours. For future meetings the board agrees it would be best to attempt to meet during hours more accessible for working parents.
Co-presidents agreed to develop a formal agenda for the meeting with Ms. Smith.

Finances
It was suggested that we develop a budget and request funding from the School Committee. Items for budget might include library purchases, community building events, and workshops. Treasurer was asked to put together a budget of approximately $1000 for presentation to the School Committee.

The upcoming shoe collection fundraiser was discussed, and the need for immediate action agreed upon. Michael Aronson agreed to put together a set of instructions that will be carried out by school representatives. Pat Ononibaku agreed to manage shoe collection at any schools lacking representatives.

Bylaws
The updated bylaws were reviewed and discussed. The main changes were to the board positions, making contact information an addendum, changes to the mission statement to incorporate advocacy, and updated goals.

The board unanimously approved of the updated bylaws with corrections to be made as stipulated by Melissa Paciulli.

Mid-Cycle Review of Special Education Services
The board has quite recently become aware of a mid-cycle review of the ARPS Special Education Services, performed by the Mass. Dept. of Education. This is a regular follow-up to the issues discovered during the 6-year review, and should be posted for public review by the school administration. There will be 3 reports: Amherst, Pelham, and ARPS. The DESE has agreed to notify SEPAC when the reports are posted.

Special Education Survey
There was general consensus that SEPAC should make a public response to the survey. In addition, we should ensure a large turnout of parents at the June 8 School Committee meeting, when the survey is expected to be presented.

De-Escalation and Restraint Review
The board has also recently become aware that the administration, as part of the review of special education services, has contracted and completed a De-escalation and Restraint Review. This review was conducted without input or permission from the parents involved. It was performed by an organization called CPI, under the auspices of PCG. It was carried out in early April, after concerns with the Special Education Survey were publicly voiced by concerned parents. CPI will be sharing the results with the administration before they are made public.

The board expressed grave concerns about another assessment performed without input from parents. In addition, there are questions about the legality of the review of student records and observations without parental consent.

In addition to the significant procedural issues mentioned above, the board is very concerned about reports from parents in the district about the manner in which restraints are used with children in Special Education. Unfortunately, given that no parental input was solicited, these concerns will not be reflected in the report.

The board recognizes an urgent need for parents to have the opportunity to provide input to the survey, and will strongly request that the Administration provide a focus group or other from of parental input before the final report is completed this week.

The board unanimously agreed that SEPAC Co-presidents will contact the media with these concerns.

Website
It was agreed that the ARPS SEPAC website should automatically redirect visitors to the new SEPAC website, and shut down the old website.

There was interest expressed in a public SEPAC blog, but the general consensus was that there is too much to do right now for any board members present to take it on.

Legal Representation for ARPS
Two board members had attended the resent school committee meeting to discuss interviews of potential legal firm for district. Questions submitted to Irv Rhodes by Monday 5/24 may be included in interview. Board members request that the subject of how mediation will be incorporated into legal proceedings be included.

Upcoming Events
Wednesday group this week: at Cocker Farm. In Art Room this week instead of community room. 9:30. G-around, check-in. Discussion. Confidentiality is included in the guidelines, and listening (as opposed to advice-giving) is encouraged. Facilitrator trained by Motherwoman & ged for Special needs.

June 8th Regional School Committee when Reivew to be presented. Need presence.

Next Meetings:
6:00 pm on Sunday June 6th, , 141 Columbia Drive, Amherst
6:00 pm on Sunday June 27th, , 141 Columbia Drive, Amherst
August 15th 6:00,,pm, 141 Columbia Drive, Amherst

Submitted by Kate MacGregor on May 24, 2010.