Meeting the needs of special education students carries both legal and ethical responsibilities for a school district. The New Jersey School Boards Association is hosting a half-day Special Education Symposium on Monday, May 14, designed to provide an overview of special education in New Jersey and the latest developments in the field.
The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (registration begins at 8:30 a.m.) at Southard School Community Center, 115 Kent Road, Howell, NJ 07731.
Keynote Session, John K. Worthington, Director, N.J. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Policy and Procedure, will deliver the opening general session, and will discuss important updates and initiatives from his office.
General Session, Special Education from Different Perspectives, Philip E. Stern, Esq., of DiFrancesco Bateman Kunzman Davis Lehrer & Flaum, P.C., and Staci Greenwald, Esq., of Sussan, Greenwald and Wesler, will discuss ways that districts and parents can work together to provide the most appropriate educational plan for students with special needs.
Two breakout sessions will follow the opening general session. Breakout session topics include:
- Special Education Case Law Review, Cherie Adams from Adams, Guieterrez, & Lattiboudere, LLC, will discuss the recent legal changes in Special Education Law;
- Bringing Students Back into District, North Brunswick Superintendent, Brian Zychowski and his team will discuss establishing an in-district special education program that saves money (in North Brunswick, 100 special education students were brought back into the home district)
- What Board Members Need to Know About Special Education, John Burns, Counsel for NJSBA, and Irene Lefebvre, Chair, NJSBA Special Education Committee, will discuss the basics every school board member should know about special education.
Cost/Registration Information The member rate is $49 per person, and the program offers 2 Board Member Academy credits. Registration of school board members and other district staff that have been reported to NJSBA through the completion of the district census form may be completed online, but only by the school business administrator, who must attach a scanned copy of the purchase order with the registration.
For questions regarding this program, please email Marcia Lavigne.