Weekly special education and Section 504 resources from Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

I know many schools have closed up the 2020-2021 school year, but we are still going strong in Kelso, Washington (my district). This month is a magical milestone month for our students, staff, and families it is important to celebrate, celebrate, and celebrate. I have no doubt you will find some simple and fun ideas to utilize this final month. Finish strong friends; you got this. I BELIEVE in you.

In this edition of AWSP News, we discuss wrapping up the craziest year in your professional career, what your school will look, sound, and feel like in the fall, the departure of Kurt Hatch, one of our Associate Directors, two new faces joining the AWSP/AWSL and Cispus family, AWSL’s Summer Leadership Series, choosing your own learning adventure in our Summer Conference, and using TPEP iGrant 664 funds to register anyone who evaluates teachers, an opportunity to share your story of how you have coped during the pandemic, and sharing your outdoor school plans for next year.

Weekly special education and Section 504 resources from Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

If you haven’t heard the news, Dr. Kurt Hatch, one of our Associate Directors, is moving on to another incredible professional opportunity. Starting June 1st, Kurt will be the Educational Administration Program Director and professor of practice at the University of Washington Tacoma. Although a direct loss for AWSP, it is an indirect win as Kurt will be shaping and preparing the next generation of school leaders at UW-T.

It is wonderful to know that schools will be fully open in the fall! It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication on everyone’s part to make it through the pandemic. None of us has come through unscathed, but hopefully, we have come through stronger.

To students and staff at Columbia Crest, their garden is not a way to get out of the classroom, it is a way to bring the classroom outside; or, perhaps, to bring the outside into the classroom.  Between helping a community save money and gain access to fresh produce, to helping students engage and apply their more traditional lessons, the Columbia Crest gardening program is helping to grow a healthier and happier community…and the kids really dig it.

Weekly special education and Section 504 resources from Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

In this this special edition of AWSP News, we discuss our role in the Inclusionary Practices Project, common language on what inclusion looks, feels, and acts like within a school context, the difference between inclusion, exclusion, integration, and segregation, what we learned along the way, and some incredible content, tool boxes, webinars, podcasts and more for school leaders and school teams to learn from and implement in their buildings.

The legislative session has concluded, the Governor has acted, and now as the show goes on, districts have to adjust. Clearly, the COVID virus, and Federal and state efforts to lessen the financial impacts on states, businesses, and individuals, came into play during this session.

Building Changes is an organization whose mission is to “advance equitable responses to homelessness in Washington State, with a focus on children, youth, and families and the systems that serve them.” They recently shared an important planning document for school districts to use as they develop their Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plans.  In addition to significant amounts of federal funding coming to school districts to help with learning recovery and supports for students, there are federal funds coming to districts that are specifically designed to “identify, provide wraparound services to, and assist students experiencing homelessness in attending schools and participating fully in school activities.”

The Learn to Return COVID-19 testing program is a FREE and voluntary service to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in schools. Over 100 school districts are currently taking part and testing their staff, students and community members. To better understand the reasons the remaining schools have not yet enrolled and to help overcome barriers to enrollment, we are asking school administrators and staff to answer a few questions. If you or someone you know would be willing to share your thoughts, please take the short, 5-minute survey. Your responses are completely anonymous. Thank you in advance for your time and attention!

Weekly special education and Section 504 resources from Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

As we get ready to close the doors on the 2020-2021 school year, the big questions and musings are starting to rumble beneath the surface. "I can't wait until we can ______________ again." "Remember when we use to _________________? I cannot wait until we can do that again." Now is an extraordinary time to assess these ponderings and begin to examine what "needs" to come back in our post-COVID era and what is best for students as we continue to move through these times of "what's next?" This week I got to work with middle school students, and I asked the question, "What have been some positives of the past year?" Their answers were riveting, powerful, profound, and revealing!

This year’s legislative session ended on time after 105 days. It’s been described as unique, historic, surprising, and consequential. Despite economic concerns about our state revenue last summer and fall, and uncertainty about how the Legislature would run its process to hear and pass bills in a mostly virtual manner, some significant bills passed and the final budgets boosted spending on many different programs.

Weekly special education and Section 504 resources from Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

Over the last year during the COVID-19 Pandemic, we’ve all heard this sentiment over and over: “I can’t wait to get back to normal!” As leaders, likely we’ve uttered that very statement many times in moments of exhaustion. Yet as we think about equity and inclusive practices that move us towards meeting the needs of all children, do we really want to go “back to normal?" If we are honest with ourselves, going back to normal is the last thing we should be trying to do.

Weekly special education and Section 504 resources from Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

On April 22, 2021, SHB 1484 was sent to the Governor for his signature. SHB 1484 is an act relating to the statewide first responder building mapping information system, commonly referred to as the ‘school mapping system.’ By way of history, following the Columbine High School mass shooting in 1999 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, a lot of national attention focused on school safety. Within the state of Washington, two parallel sets of requirements were soon put into law. In 2002, the Legislature passed SSB 5543 (RCW28A.320.125) requiring districts and schools to develop comprehensive school safety plans. In 2003, RCW 36.28A.060 called for the development of a statewide first responder mapping system for all state and local government buildings.

I love the later sunsets, the blooming flowers (even though it brings out my husband's allergies), the birds in the morning, smell of fresh bark, and evenings on my deck. All of those signs of the changing season make me smile. However, April brings with it a new level of exhaustion for educators. Sprinkle in the constant changes due to the pandemic this year and well its a constant game of real life "FLOOR IS LAVA". I know you are fatigued and I want to recognize the FACT you are awesome.