The Special Education PTSA has sent you written comments on the BAR, Policy 3246 and the Procedure.
I want to talk about community engagement. The last draft of the policy shared with community was flashed on the screen on a Zoom call last spring. People had to read it from the shared screen and provide immediate reactions. It was not provided in advance nor was it circulated after the meeting. Last week the SSC&I Committee discussed the draft BAR, policy and procedure. That was the first time anyone in the community saw a draft BAR and draft procedure.
At the student forum, my son was the only student participating who had been restrained and isolated. The only reason he knew about the meeting is because his mom is President of the Special Ed PTSA.
The meeting was horribly uncomfortable for him and he would not turn on his camera or his microphone — he participated by typing in the chat. This is the same kid who was routinely the only student in his classes to have his camera on. Why was he unwilling to be seen or to talk? Because no one from the District had explained to him in advance what to expect.
Contrast that experience with the Kings who participated in the forum. They met the day before with their staff advisor, reviewed the questions in advance and prepared their answers. And it showed. I appreciated Mr. Loyal– who read my son’s comments from the chat and made sure that he was heard — but the experience was painful.
You have talked about making decisions based on data and student outcomes. Your data show that the students most affected by restraint and isolation are overwhelmingly disabled students with IEPs. No effort was made to center those student voices and that is why last week the PTSA had to call out — in multiple places in the documents — the failure to include disability and recognize the intersectionality of race and disability with respect to this issue. The ableism of the District is on full display in the development of these documents.
Nothing about us without us.
