Special Education State Performance Plan Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

Dear Parents, Families, Educators, and Other Key Stakeholders of Students with Disabilities:

I am writing to invite you to participate in virtual special education State Performance Plan Stakeholder Engagement Meetings to discuss New York State’s performance targets and improvement activities for implementing the requirements and purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA requires each state to have a special education State Performance Plan which consists of 17 indicators that include compliance and performance targets in areas such as timeliness of evaluations, early childhood growth and achievement, equity in discipline, least restrictive environments, and secondary transition.

The United States Department of Education requires each state to engage stakeholders in the examination and revision of the State Performance Plan target setting process and improvement activities. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) will be hosting virtual stakeholder sessions in November 2021 to gather your input on our State Performance Plan. The virtual sessions will be topic-specific, and meetings will last approximately two and a half hours. Meetings will occur both during the day and in the evening in our hopes to accommodate different schedules.

Meaningful family engagement leads to better educational outcomes for students with disabilities. It is essential that we hear from diverse voices from every region of New York State. Improvement efforts are only effective when informed by parent and family voices with input from educators and other key stakeholders of students with disabilities.

NYSED values our partnership with all of our key stakeholders in our ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for students with disabilities throughout New York State. Please consider participating in these Stakeholder Engagement Meetings to add your voice and perspective to this very important work.

To register to participate in these upcoming Stakeholder Engagement Meetings, view the online surveys, and/or to just learn more about the State Performance Plan, please visit our Stakeholder Engagement webpage: http://www.nysed.gov/special-education/ffy-2020-2025-spp-apr.  The registration deadline is October 29, 2021.

We look forward to hearing from you and encourage you to contact us at NYSPP@nysed.gov with any questions.

Sincerely,

Christopher Suriano

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER

Students on Quarantine: Continued Instruction 

If your child is required to quarantine due to a positive COVID test, or due to a COVID exposure, Sullivan BOCES will provide materials for continued instruction.

The first thing you should do is notify Sullivan BOCES if your child does NOT have internet access and/or a device. You can call the main office of the program your child attends (phone numbers below), or you can speak with your child’s teacher(s) regarding this matter.

Elementary Programs (WSS/GMOD)
(845) 292-5618

Special Ed & Alternative Ed Programs (RPEC)
(845) 295-4111

Career & Tech (CTE) Programs
(845) 295-4152

If your child needs a device, a Chromebook will be provided. If, for any reason, your child is not able to use a device, instructional material can be provided in paper form for completion. The instructional items/materials can be picked up from Sullivan BOCES, or arrangements with the home school district can be made to get the items to your child as well. 

All teachers have Google Classrooms, and therefore, if your child is using a Chromebook they will be expected to log into the Google Classroom to obtain and complete work. The remote instruction is asynchronous, which means that your child is able to complete their assigned work independently. Should your child have questions regarding their assignments, they can reach out to the teacher via phone, Google Classroom, or via email.  If your child is a secondary special education or alternative education student, they will likely have multiple teachers and should be sure to check into each of the Google Classrooms for all of their teachers. 

Your child’s homeroom teacher will set up a Google Meet during their scheduled homeroom time (8:00 - 8:26 am), which your child will be expected to join daily for attendance purposes. If your child is not using a device, you, or your child may call the main office during the home room period to be marked “Present” for the day.  If your child does not attend the Google Meet or contact the main office during homeroom, they will be marked as “Absent” for the day.

 
Only the following individuals are eligible for a third dose at this time:

• Those aged 65 or older who received the Pfizer vaccination at least six (6) months ago
• Those aged 50-64 who have underlying medical conditions (see list below) and who received the Pfizer vaccination at least six (6) months ago
• Those aged 18-49 who have underlying medical conditions (see list below) and who received the Pfizer vaccination at least six (6) months ago, based on individual benefit and risk
• Those aged 18-64 who received the Pfizer vaccination at least six (6) months ago and are at increased risk because of their occupational or institutional setting, including:
• Essential workers (frontline and non-frontline)
• Unpaid caregivers of frail/immunocompromised individuals
• Paid/unpaid workers who must interact with others less than six (6) feet away
• Residents of a congregate setting, like a homeless shelter or correctional facility

Underlying medical conditions which qualify someone to receive this third dose include:

• Cancer (current or in remission)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Pulmonary disease, including COPD, asthma (moderate to severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11-related diseases
• Intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Down Syndrome
• Heart conditions, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and high blood pressure
• Immunocompromised states, like those associated with solid organ transplants, blood/bone marrow transplants, immune deficiencies, HIV, and immune-weakening medication use
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease or thalassemia
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
• Cerebrovascular disease
• Neurologic conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia
• Liver disease

For more information and to register, please visit the Public Health website 
SC Publichealth/COVIDvaccines/clinics

Guidance Documents:

• NYS DOH - Interim Guidance for Classroom Instruction in K-12 Schools      9-2-21
• NYS DOH - Testing Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools 9-2-21
• NYS DOH - Indoor Mask Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools8-27-21
• NYSED - Health and Safety Guide for the 2021-2022 School Year
• SC Public Health - COVID Update to Schools 8-2-21
• SC Public Health - SC Public Health Concurs with CDC 8-12-21
• SC Public Health - Measures of Success from School Year Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 - 8-12-21
• Sullivan BOCES Thinking Forward: Opening & Contingency Planning for the 2021-2022 school year

Resources:

• NYSED - Health and Safety Guide for the 2021-2022 School Year
• SC Public Health - CDC Update on the COVID-19 Pandemic and Delta Variant
• SC Public Health - Back to School Face Mask Reminder
• SC Public Health - Sullivan County COVID-19 Vaccine Locations 8-12-21
• SC Public Health - COVID-19 Vaccine - What is the difference between an additional third dose and a booster dose? 

Links:

• NYSED - Issues Health & Safety Guidance to Open Schools
• CDC - Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) - COVID-19 Guidance for Safe Schools

Current CDC guidance states that being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 ensures that our staff and students remain safe, and can help avoid quarantine if you are exposed to someone who tests positive as long as you remain asymptomatic and have consistently worn a mask.

Resources to assist:

• For a weekly list of public health clinics, please visit: https://sullivanny.us/Departments/Publichealth/COVIDvaccines/clinics  
• For a pharmacy or health care provider near you, visit  https://www.vaccines.gov/.
• You can also call 1-800-232-0233 for help finding a vaccine, or text your ZIP code to 438829 to get a list of options sent to your phone.
• Check your local pharmacy’s website to see if vaccination walk-ins or appointments are available.
• Visit the CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions page for information about COVID-19 vaccinations https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html

Cornell Cooperative Extension of
Delaware and Orange Counties are pleased to present: 

Growing Resilience Webinar Series Fall 2021

Thursday, October 28, 2021
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Thursday, November 18, 2021
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Begin or continue to learn about resilience at one of our free Growing Resilience Webinars:

A Polyvagal Lens on Resilience and Systems Transformation
Thursday, October 28 from 3:30 - 4:30 P.M.

The Resilience of Youth in Impossible Times
Thursday, November 18 from 3:30 - 4:30 P.M.

Registration is required for each of these individual webinars. Once registered, a link to join will be sent to your email. After the workshop, a recording will also be shared.

A Polyvagal Lens on Resilience and Systems Transformation (10/28):

• In this webinar, Dr. Andrew Bell, Program Director of Community Support Services at the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health will introduce participants to the Polyvagal Theory and how it relates to building resilience.
• Click here to register!

The Resilience of youth in impossible times (11/18):

• In the Early Childhood Cognition Lab at Cornell University, a team of students collaborated under Dr. Tamar Kushnir to understand how youth respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team interviewed children ages 7-11 during the summer and fall of 2020 and in the summer of 2021 under the title "Being Me in Times of Change." The team asked about their families, school, friends, and their emotional well-being during the pandemic. The qualitative responses collected are astounding as the youth proved their resilience, strength, and adaptability.
• Click here to register!

Got5 - Crisis Text Line

The New York State Office of Mental Health and the Suicide Prevention Center of New York State has created a Crisis Text Line to help students and those in need get through a difficult moment. The Crisis Text Line is a free, anonymous, text-based support network that is available 24/7.

Simply text “GOT5” to 741-741 to start a texting conversation with a trained Crisis Counselor who can help you get through a difficult moment.

Help is a text away!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFOLiGhnnlE&t=2s