The next Special Education Leaders’ Meeting will be held on Friday, March 11th, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
The Zoom link for this meeting has been sent to Special Education Leaders in a separate email.
Public Comments Wanted – IDEA Part B Funds
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is soliciting public comments on the recently submitted State Application for IDEA Part B funds for Federal Fiscal Year FFY 2022, which correlates to Massachusetts Fiscal Year 2023 and school year 2022-2023. Public comments are asked for and accepted for the first 30 calendar days of posting. The deadline for submission of public comment is April 4, 2022. For more information and to read the submission, please click here.
Comments on the proposed application may be submitted by email to specialeducation@doe.mass.edu with the subject line: IDEA Annual State Application or mailed to:
Jamie Camacho, Director of Special Education Planning and Policy Development
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Special Education Planning and Policy Development Office
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148
DESE and DDS Residential Prevention Program
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) have collaborated to develop a statewide program specifically for DDS eligible students who are at risk of a future residential placement. This program serves students who are DDS Child Eligible, 6-21 years old, are served by an IEP, and are living in their family or caregiver’s home. The program provides wraparound supports for students and their families including in-home supports, community integration activities and skill building, funding for approved goods and services, a single point of contact for the program through a Family Navigator Agency, and a family-centered plan with individualized goals for the student to work on.
The Open Interest Period has begun and is accepting forms through March 31, 2022. For more information and to find an interest form please visit the following website.
We are asking schools to consider the students they are supporting who would fit the enrollment criteria, make this information available to those families, and encourage them to complete a form if they are interested. Regional districts, please make this information available to all the schools within your region.
School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) Trainings
MassHealth is offering a Medicaid 101 training series to provide foundational information about the School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) in a series of modules focused on specific audiences at each local education agency. UMass Medical School, on behalf of MassHealth, will offering live webinar presentations of each training module, and the videos will be posted on the SBMP website. Local education agencies (LEAs) can identify appropriate staff for any of the modules, and collaboratives and approved special education schools are invited to module 8. Details on the series and links to registration are as follows: School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) Trainings | Mass.gov
Updated Model School Resource Officer MOU Available
As required by section 37P of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as amended by Section 79 of chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020, an updated model school resource officer memorandum of understanding (MOU) is now available on the Model School Resource Officer MOU Review Commission web page. The model MOU includes the minimum requirements that school districts and police departments should formalize and clarify in their partnership. Starting this summer, each district will be required to file its school resource officer MOU and operating procedures with DESE annually. Dates and details regarding the submission process will be provided in an update this spring. Please email Anne Gilligan at AnneL.Gilligan@mass.gov with any questions.
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