UPPER GRAND DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MINUTES
The Special Education Advisory Committee of the Upper Grand District School Board met
on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at 500 Victoria Road
North, Guelph.
The following Association Members were present:
Kim Brenner, Parents for Children’s Mental Health-Wellington County, Pauline Busby,
Community Living Guelph-Wellington, Heather Clemmer, Easter Seals Ontario, Sharon
Dills, Learning Disabilities Association of Wellington County, Beth Haworth, Community
Member-at-Large, Jason Offer, Association for Bright Children (ABC), Don Richardson,
Integration Action for Inclusion in Education and Community (Ontario), Sue Shaw and
Carrie Proudfoot, Autism Ontario-Wellington County, Stacey Stevens, VOICE for
Hearing Impaired Children and Laurie Whyte, FASworld Canada (Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorders).
Present from Staff were:
Heather Boswell, Superintendent of Program, Leta Vos, Special Education Consultant,
Trudy Counter, Coordinator-Communication, Language and Speech Services, Christine
Kay, Elementary Principal, Sandra Roberts, Secondary Vice-Principal, Sandra Szpular,
Collaborative Projects Lead/Special Education Coordinator and Bonnie Talbot, Principal
of Program.
The following Trustees were present:
Marty Fairbairn and Jennifer Waterston.
The following member was absent:
Katie Vanderyt, VIEWS for Children Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Moved by Stacey Stevens.
That the agenda of the November 9, 2011 meeting be approved.
The motion carried.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Pauline Busby.
That the minutes of the meeting held on September 14, 2011 be approved.
The motion carried.
Special Education Advisory Committee Minutes … Page 2
November 9, 2011
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Marty Fairbairn.
That the minutes of the meeting held on October 12, 2011 be approved.
The motion carried.
SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE TRAINING AND ORIENTATION
SESSION
Trudy Counter, Coordinator - Communication, Language and Speech Services
introduced Alison Morse who provided the training and orientation session this evening.
Alison Morse has held a variety of roles including being one of the founding members of
the Ontario Association for Families of Children with Communication Disorders
(OAFCCD), the Co-Chair of Provincial Parent Associations Advisory Committee (PAAC)
on SEAC, Provincial Coordinator for Easter Seals and a member of The Minister’s
Advisory Council on Special Education (MACSE). She has also delivered parent
workshops and conferences.
Alison Morse began her PowerPoint presentation with a slide “All Kids Can Learn….”
She spoke about Bill 82, the Legislation in the Education Act regarding special
education. Tonight she focussed on the regulations and standards.
In the Education Act, Regulation 464/97 refers to Special Education Advisory
Committees, the membership, roles and responsibilities of the committee members, the
chair and board personnel who support the members of SEAC. The Special Education
Report is a requirement for all school boards. The Parent Guide to Special Education
must include information and describe the IPRC process in parent friendly language.
Both documents are to be available to the public. The importance of SEAC members
understanding how special education programs and services are funded was stressed,
and the five components of the Special Education Grant were reviewed.
The Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) process is legislated
through Regulation 181/98. SEAC members should have knowledge of this so they are
able to assist parents with information about how the process works. The list of five
Ministry of Education recognized placements and the appeals process were referenced.
There are a variety of resources available for SEAC Members. A few examples include
the SEAC E-Learning Site, the Minister’s Advisory Council on Special Education
(MACSE), a website that contains Ministry of Education memos pertaining to special
education and the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) website containing
special education related resources.
The composition and role of MACSE, the Special Education Advisory Committee for the
Minister was shared. The 2011-2012 priorities for MACSE are mental health and
transitions. Also shared was information about PAAC on SEAC. CD’s of the “PAAC on
Special Education Advisory Committee Minutes … Page 3
November 9, 2011
SEAC Effective Practices Handbook for SEAC Members 2010” were made available.
In closing, Alison Morse spoke about SEAC effective practices, preparation lists, skills
for SEAC members (i.e. listening, problem solving, team building), communication tips,
and guiding principles to build credibility. A list of additional resources was also
reviewed with a reminder that the Special Education Report is a key resource for SEAC
members.
OPEN FORUM
Don Richardson introduced himself and spoke about Integration Action for Inclusion in
Education and Community (Ontario), a provincial organization with representation on
SEACs supporting inclusion. He also referenced the book “Leadership for Inclusion” he
referred to at the October SEAC meeting and informed his colleagues that audio and ebooks can be downloaded at their local Library.
Sandra Roberts introduced herself as the new secondary Vice-Principal representative
on SEAC and provided background on the different positions she has held throughout
her career.
Stacey Stevens spoke about the SEAC training she attended through VOICE.
Presentations were made by Ministry personnel around SEAC and funding. Also
presented was information about MACSE and PAAC on SEAC. VOICE is promoting
“Dress Loud”, a campaign to bring awareness to the fact that deaf children can learn to
listen and talk.
Heather Clemmer reported the Easter Seals Camp Woodeden has a new multi-sport
activity centre in London, Ontario which will enable them to offer a wider range of
activities. An Easter Seals skate fundraiser is taking place in January and provides an
opportunity to skate with Toronto Maple Leafs hockey players.
Kim Brenner reported that on November 24, 2011, Parents for Children’s Mental Health
is conducting training in Waterloo. The Chapter Leaders retreat is taking place the end
of November. The Family Information Fair in Fergus was well attended.
Carrie Proudfoot spoke about an Autism Awareness Day held on October 1, 2011.
There was also a Coffee Social held on October 26, 2011. A Christmas Party is
scheduled for December 4, 2011, at the Holiday Inn – Scottsdale in Guelph. There has
been an increase in awareness and activity on Facebook around Autism.
Pauline Busby reported the ARC Industries Annual Open house is scheduled for
Saturday, November 12, 2011. Aside from the baked items for sale, this is a good
opportunity to view the facility. Also reported was Community Living will be offering
some programs (i.e. computer, knitting) for people who have graduated and are not
attending a program. Further information will be provided.
Special Education Advisory Committee Minutes … Page 4
November 9, 2011
Sharon Dills spoke about the Homework Help and the IEP/IPRC workshops hosted by
LDAO in October. Both sessions were well attended. In December, Brenda Sherry will
be presenting on new technology. The LDAO Newsletter will be distributed in
December.
Laurie Whyte reported KidsAbility is sponsoring a Fetal Alcohol Day at Bingemans on
November 14, 2011. There will be different panels at this event (i.e. parents, special
education teachers for children with FASD, occupational therapists).
UPDATES FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PROGRAM
Heather Boswell began by providing an update on Special Equipment Amount (SEA)
technology systems noting that approximately 500 systems have been provided to our
students between May 2010 and September 2011.
Sandra Szpular reported on the Forum on Mental Health that took place on November
7, 2011. The focus this year was on a new resource for educators “Making a
Difference” An Educators’ Guide to Child and Youth Mental Health Problems. This
forum was attended by a variety of board staff and our community partners.
Also mentioned was a Ministry of Education memo providing information on the
supports for boards around mental health. In the Upper Grand DSB, we are continuing
to work on Collaborative Agreements with our community agencies as they are an
essential part of these partnerships.
The Educational Assistant allocations have been reviewed and the necessary changes
made. These will be reviewed again in the new year.
The Kiwanis Christmas Luncheon is scheduled for December 8, 2011 at the Italian
Canadian Club.
Heather will be attending the Regional Special Education Council meeting on November
10, 2011 in Toronto.
MEETING SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION(S) AND MOTION(S)
The Election of Chair and Vice-Chair of SEAC will take place at the December 14, 2011
meeting. If you are interested in either position, please let Heather Boswell know.
Don Richardson inquired about the Parent Guide for Special Education that was not
discussed at the October SEAC Meeting to which Heather Boswell replied this would be
an item on an upcoming agenda.
Carrie Proudfoot inquired about UG2GO stating that she is unable to login to this site.
Bonnie Talbot was asked to look into this. Information will be reported back to SEAC.
Special Education Advisory Committee Minutes … Page 5
November 9, 2011
TRUSTEE REPORT
Marty Fairbairn spoke about the Accessibility Plan presented at Business Operations
meeting. This will be presented at the December 14, 2011 SEAC meeting.
Also reported was mental health was one of the main discussion points of the OPSBA
program work team.
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Jennifer Waterston that the meeting be adjourned at 9:13 p.m.
The motion carried.