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- Current special education teacher, aspiring school counselor
- I believe that school counselors carry many duties under their belt to help ALL students be successful: social and emotional development, academic development, and college and career development are all essential parts of school counseling. A school counselor must also be familiar with the different special programs on campus and how it may assist their students in reaching their full potential toward graduation. The individual needs of the students on my future caseload students is critical to my "why". Each student serves as a reminder as to why my job and servicing is so important.
- The audience I am reaching is special education teachers and staff, and school personnel who work with these individuals.
- My topic is "Working with Special Education Students - IEPs"
- I chose this topic because many school counselors and even school personnel need to be reminded of the way Individualized Educational Plans work for students receiving special education services.

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- American School Counselor Association: Legal & Ethical FAQ
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors-members/legal-ethical/legal-ethical-faq
- This portion of the website discusses how a counselor can make sure they are reaching the needs of their students based on their IEPs as well as performing their other duties. "IEP teams need leadership, communication and clarity regarding the appropriate use of IEPs. The team leader should ensure every team member understands that the school counselor’s role must be realistic and relevant as defined by ASCA" (ASCA, 2018).

References:
American School Counselor Association (2018). Legal and ethical faqs. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors-members/legal-ethical/legal-ethical-faq

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- This Pandemic Is No Time to Backtrack on Special Education
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/05/05/this-pandemic-is-no-time-to-backtrack.html
- The article discusses the issues that have come with the school learning environment during the pandemic. Many educators, like school counselors, are having difficulty breaking down the virtual barrier to reach students based on their needs within their IEPs. This is especially challenging for our special education population because of specific services that should be provided and the protection of the principles of equity established in the IDEA (Blomstedt, 2020).

References:
Blomstedt, M (2020).

This pandemic Is no time to backtrack on special education. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/05/05/this-pandemic-is-no-time-to-backtrack.html

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- Supporting special needs students during remote IEP meetings, learning
https://www.educationdive.com/news/supporting-special-needs-students-during-remote-iep-meetings-learning/581460/
- This article discusses the ways educators and school staff (administrators and counselors) can be prepared in supporting indivduals during a remote learning environment. Barack state that there is a specific "need to continue to ensure these students are getting what they need if school continues from home or in a hybrid in-person/digital learning format" (2020). As a school counselor, it is important to do frequent check ins and make sure the special education students aren't falling between the cracks for graduation requirements due to lack of proper IEP support.

References:
Barack, L (2020).

Supporting special needs students during remote IEP meetings, learning. Education Dive. https://www.educationdive.com/news/supporting-special-needs-students-during-remote-iep-meetings-learning/581460/

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- Source of the law: Board of Education v. Rowley, 19
- Citation: Board of Educ. v. Rowley, 458 US 176 (1982)
- Link: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/458/176/
- Legal requirements: This case determined the Free Appropriate Public Education, which provides an opportunity for children to achieve their full potential in the educational system depending on their specific needs. The Individual Education Plan is reviewed annually to determine the current progress of the student with special education services and how the school can continue to provide appropriate accommodations or modifications to the student.

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- Understanding the umbrella of special education is essential for the success of the school counselor's services when working with a student with disabilities.  It is important to the field of education so that individuals can begin to understand and acknowledge proper guidelines, laws, and the implementation of Individual Education Plans. School counselors must be able to stay up to date with current research and implement the best practices for their students receiving special education services to be successful and reach their full academic performance. School counselors can understand the IEPs and how to work with these students when providing direct and indirect services.
- The most recent issue within the special education field is our new virtual learning environment due to our current COVID-19 pandemic. School counselors are doing their best in staying in contact with students and caregivers during this time. Not only are general education students struggling, but especially special education students who need that collaborative and integrative learning environment (Gucyeter & Erdogan, 2020). The students are accustomed to schedules, additional support and reminders. "Talking about online learning is difficult, Mesmer points out, without acknowledging that many students do not have consistent or even minimal internet access" (Nazerian, 2020). It can be challenging to fully implement and understand how to work in a student's IEP.

References:
American School Counselor Association (2018). The School Counselor and Students with Disabilities. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/PositionStatements/PS_Disabilities.pdf

Nazerian, T. (2020). THE PANDEMIC PIVOT: The impact of COVID-19 on early literacy instruction. Literacy Today (2411-7862), 38(2), 38–41.

Gucyeter, S. & Erdogan, S. (2020).
Creative children in a robust learning environment: Perceptions of special education teacher candidates. Thinking Skills and Creativity. 37.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100675.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871187120301498)

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- Source of the law: 14th Amendment
- Citation: U.S. Const. amend. XIV
-Link: https://www.concordlawschool.edu/blog/constitutional-law/14th-amendment-protects-rights-education/#:~:text=The%20law%20requires%20public%20schools,are%20caused%20by%20their%20disability.
- Legal requirements: Under the 14th Amendment, which grants individuals the right to an equal protection of the laws. Although this amendment is not specifically tailored to the special education students, this amendment later helps students with disabilities not be excluded from public schooling, regardless of a disability.

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- Source of the law: Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- Citation: 42 USC § 12101
- Link: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section12101&num=0&edition=prelim
- Legal requirements: Any person with physical or mental disabilities has the opportunity to fully participate in society and education. Society is no longer allowed to isolate individuals with disabilities when it comes to employment, education, transportation, health services, voting, and many other citizenship rights.

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- Source of the law: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- Citation: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 (2004)
https://www.apa.org/advocacy/education/idea
- Legal requirements: Ensures that all students have access to a free appropriate public education. This allows for school counselors, teachers, and other educational staff to allow for students to receive education based on their unique needs, including what is in their IEP.

References:
American Psychological Association (2020). Individuals with disabilities act. https://www.apa.org/advocacy/education/idea

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- Policy: Section 504
- Citation: 34 C.F.R. Part 104.4
- Link: https://www.nisd.net/mlms/services/section-504
- Selection: Northside implements the federal law, Section 504 into their special education program. This law helps provide individuals with disabilities a free appropriate public education regardless of their severity of the disability. The students will not receive any discrimination under any program or activity.

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- Understanding Special Education Laws
https://childmind.org/article/understanding-special-education-laws/
- The website provides an overview of the different ways students qualify for special education services and how a 504 or an IEP operate while in the education world. This is a helpful tool for educators and school personnel to receive an overview or serve as a reminder for the main components for special education students and their services.

References:
Ehmke, R (2020).

Understanding special education laws. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/understanding-special-education-laws/

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Slide #13 - Bulleted Recommendations / Best Practices

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Slide #13 - Bulleted Recommendations / Best Practices

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- Understand how an IEP serves to protect special education students and their rights to public education
- Understand laws and regulations regarding the implementation of an IEP in a classroom setting
- Refer to the ASCA website for any legal and ethical FAQs - both virtual and in-person services regarding the IEP
- Understand the specific needs of special education students and how the services may appear in both in-person and virtual environments
- Stay in compliance with serving special education students the opportunity to excel to their full potential in academics
- Understand the variety of disabilities within the special education system
- Know the students' needs, implement best practices for direct and indirect services to keep the communication line open between student, teachers, and parents
- Refer to the ASCA Ethical Standards, Code of Ethics, district handbooks, and local/state/federal laws when providing services to a special education student

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-  ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf
- g. Are knowledgeable of laws, regulations and policies affecting students and families and strive to protect and inform students and families regarding their rights for education and special education services.
- This ethical standard connects to the topic regarding special education students for many reasons. First, school counselors need to be familiar with IEPs, how it may affect a student's schedule with graduation requirements, and how implement proper courses based on the student's needs. Second, knowing the proper privacy and confidentiality guidelines in place for students and being able to explain parents' rights regarding their child's IEP and records is important.