The 34th annual Indiana State University School Law Conference on April 15 will focus upon "State and Federal Mandates Related to Special Education."
"We decided to focus on special education because recently the federal government passed a revision of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA)," said Terry McDaniel, ISU assistant professor of educational leadership, administration and foundations.
That revision caused states to change their guidelines.
"Our conference sessions are designed to help districts understand the changes and make adjustments that will assure they are in compliance," McDaniel said. "We also wanted to help schools prepare for Response to Intervention (RTI), which all schools will be required to have adopted."
RTI, which began in special education, is designed to identify a student's learning problems and address them before special education is needed, McDaniel said.
"In essence, this should lower the number of students being identified for special education and meet their needs in the classroom," he said.
Registration and breakfast begins at 9 a.m. in Hulman Memorial Student Union's Dede I with David Emmert, general counsel for the Indiana School Board Association, serving as the keynote speaker at 9:30 a.m. He will speak on "Recent Court Rulings Related to Special Education."
During the morning there will be sessions on RTI, assistive technology, how school corporations and special education cooperatives can work together to meet changes in IDEA and Indiana Designs Equitable Access for Learning (IDEAL) administrative modules.
Sharon Knoth, acting director of special education for the Indiana Department of Public Instruction, will serve as the luncheon speaker at 11:30 p.m.
The afternoon will have two breakout sessions with discussions on preschool program alternatives; complaints, due process and independent hearings; implementation of Article 7, special education court cases and legislation; data based decision making; and disproportionality and early intervention.
Through the yearly law conference, McDaniel said school administrators can get a quick "snapshot" of critical laws and rulings.
"New laws, regulations and mandates addressing education happen every year. These laws and mandates get interpreted through court cases and rulings from educational agencies. It is nearly impossible for a school administrator to keep abreast of them," he explained. "By having presenters who specialize in areas of educational law, we are providing resources to our school leaders. Not only can administrators listen to the presentations, they can receive direct answers to their specific questions and they make personal contact with a presenter who could become a resource for a future legal issue."
Additional information and registration forms may be found at www.indstate.edu/coe/elaf. The cost of the conference is $50 and the registration deadline is April 10.
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Contact: Terry McDaniel, Indiana State University, assistant professor of educational leadership, administration and foundations, at 812-237-3862 or tmcdaniel@isugw.indstate.edu
Writer: Jennifer Sicking, Indiana State University, assistant director of media relations, at 812-237-7972 or jennifer.sicking@indstate.edu