Cooperative Link: Spring 2007

2^nd Annual Administrative Academy for Special Education—
June 27, 2007 – Holiday Inn-Mankato

Last September the Minnesota Department of Education, Division of Compliance and Assistance announced a new training available to districts. This training is a trainer-of-trainers model aimed at giving all Individualized Education Program (IEP) managers the skills to better handle relationships with parents and the IEP meeting. The goal of this training is to lessen the need for state involvement in district conflict resolution.

Adele Ciriacy, Due Process Specialist, MN Department of Education and Patricia McGinnis, ADR Coordinator, MN Special Education Mediation Service will present two of the four modules in this training: Communication Skills and IEP Meeting Essentials.

Communication Skills: Teaches the foundational skills for developing positive working relationships between staff and parents, leading to collaborative IEP team interaction. Trainees will be given techniques they can immediately apply in addition to equipping participants to assist teams to unite, defeat problems, and deflect conflict.

IEP Meeting Essentials: Identifies and discusses the logistics of holding an interactive team meeting while addressing the requirements of IDEA.

Peter Martin, School Law Attorney will present “On the Cutting Edge-Recent Developments in Special Education Law.”

This presentation will address recent court decisions and trends which are currently impacting on special education both nationally and here in Minnesota.

Peter Martin is an experienced school law attorney who advises school districts regarding special education, student discipline, and general school law matters. His practice focuses on special education mediation and litigation, counseling school districts with strategies for preventing and responding to due process hearings and appeals in the state and federal courts.




SCSC News Calendar of Events *Programs and Services* Accounting Briefs / AYP/Student Improvment / Carl Perkins / Center for Academic Excellence / Health and Safety / High-STEP / Insurance / Paraprofessionals / Professional Development-Educational Opportunties / Special Education *Student Enrichment Programs* Chess Tournament / Fine Arts Conference / Knowledge Bowl / Math Masters / MN Academic Decathlon / Student Inventors / "Water is Life" Art Contest / Young Writer's Conference / Spring 2007 Issue Home Page Previous Issues of Cooperative Link Return to SCSC Home Page	SPECIAL EDUCATION 2^nd Annual Administrative Academy for Special Education— June 27, 2007 – Holiday Inn-Mankato Last September the Minnesota Department of Education, Division of Compliance and Assistance announced a new training available to districts. This training is a trainer-of-trainers model aimed at giving all Individualized Education Program (IEP) managers the skills to better handle relationships with parents and the IEP meeting. The goal of this training is to lessen the need for state involvement in district conflict resolution. Adele Ciriacy, Due Process Specialist, MN Department of Education and Patricia McGinnis, ADR Coordinator, MN Special Education Mediation Service will present two of the four modules in this training: Communication Skills and IEP Meeting Essentials. Communication Skills: Teaches the foundational skills for developing positive working relationships between staff and parents, leading to collaborative IEP team interaction. Trainees will be given techniques they can immediately apply in addition to equipping participants to assist teams to unite, defeat problems, and deflect conflict. IEP Meeting Essentials: Identifies and discusses the logistics of holding an interactive team meeting while addressing the requirements of IDEA. Peter Martin, School Law Attorney will present “On the Cutting Edge-Recent Developments in Special Education Law.” This presentation will address recent court decisions and trends which are currently impacting on special education both nationally and here in Minnesota. Peter Martin is an experienced school law attorney who advises school districts regarding special education, student discipline, and general school law matters. His practice focuses on special education mediation and litigation, counseling school districts with strategies for preventing and responding to due process hearings and appeals in the state and federal courts. > Next Special Education Article: Gearing Up For Your Future" — 4^th Annual South Central Minnesota Work-Skills Competition Day	This newsletter is also available as an Acrobat PDF (2.0 MB) Free Acrobat Reader required for viewing.