Special Education - Capistrano Unified Council PTSA

UPDATE: Click here for the Fall 2009 edition of The Special EDge, from Fourth District PTA. This publication is published by the Napa County Office of Educations CalSTAT Project Funding.

Special Education Linking Families (SELF), the Special Education Committee of the Unified Council of PTSA’s, is pleased to announce its newly reorganized structure! Starting with the 2006-2007 school year, SELF began focusing its efforts on impacting our Federal, State and local representatives on current and proposed legislative actions. These will include IDEA funding, the California High School Exit Exam and other legislative issues as they may arise. To accommodate our new structure, SELF business meetings will be held QUARTERLY, and we will encourage all our SELF reps and interested parties to participate in Council’s legislative team meetings, held monthly. SELF will continue to support its representatives with disability awareness programs, liaison responsibilities and District updates. SELF will also continue to expand its website and listserve information and we encourage our reps to spread the news about these sources.

The CAC, the Education Code mandated advisory committee, will be supporting Parent Education Seminars in the fall. They will continue their focus on the Special Education Local Plan and furthering parent education on related issues. The CAC is comprised of parents, community professionals and educators. We welcome and need additional volunteers to become involved in this program. If you would like more information, please contact Cheryl Zelden, CAC Chair.

Finally, the Parent Support Network will remain available to help support the emotional needs of parents with special needs children. Volunteers are trained and closely matched with those individuals requesting support. Further information about the Parent Support Network can be found in this newsletter.

We are excited and looking forward to our goals and directions! We feel that by clearly delineating the responsibilities of these three groups, that we will become much more effective advocates for our children. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or input! We would love to hear from you!