Florida Council for Newsletter

Volume 7 Issue 3

Spring, 2015

A Message from the President

Dear Fellow CEC Members,
Inside this Issue:
Board Members

Leadership

Conference
Chapter and
Subdivision
News

FCEC Conference Information

Call for

10

Presentations
Vice President

14

Candidates
President Elect

15

Candidate
CAN Update

16

Clarissa Hug
Teacher of the
Year

18

Regional Representatives

19

open! Start planning

now to attend, it is a
great event that you
wont want to miss.
Interested in becomSpring has Sprung! We
ing a board member or
all hope that you are or
did enjoy a relaxing and finding out more about
restful spring break with what we do? This is
family and friends. The the perfect time and
place for you and your
end of the school year is
chapter to do so. It is
quickly approaching. It
a smaller more peris a great time to resonal opportunity for
member why we began
you to get more inforour careers in exceptional student education. mation and become
more involved.
Florida CEC is off to a
great start for 2015 and
Start getting ready to
the theme for the year is
attend the 2015 FCEC
tying into everything we
State Conference. The
do. Reflection and Redates are set for Octonewal, The Heart and
ber 1-3, 2015. The
Soul of Special Educatheme for 2015 will be
tion; Renew, Rejuvenate,
The Heart and Soul
and Reactivate.
of Special Education;
Renew, Rejuvenate,
Dr. Jennifer Lesh has
and Reactivate. Inout done herself planterested in presenting
ning the FCEC Leaderin October 2015? Inship Conference coming
formation is included
up in Delray Beach on
June 12-13, 2015. Sister in the newsletter and
will be posted on our
Phyllis Superfisky,
website at floridaPh.D. is our keynote
cec.org.
speaker as we Reenergize the Vision and
We are excited about
Mission: Serving FCEC
all of the opportunities
with Reflection & Reto connect and reconnewal. Registration is
nect with you in 2015!

Together in Special
Education,

Heidi DAmbrosio,
Ed.D.
Florida CEC
President

Leadership
Conference
June 12-13, 2015
Delray Beach, FL

FCEC Conference
October 1-3, 2015
Orlando, Florida

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Volume 6 Issue 2

2014-2015 FCEC Board Members

Please feel free to contact Executive Board Members as we are here to serve our membership!

President

Dr. Heidi D'Ambrosio

Student Advisor

cec.dambrosioh@gmail.com

President-Elect

Dr. Kelly Grillo

mlittleucf@aol.com

Conference Coordinator

kjgrillo@gmail.com
Vice-President

Kareem Thompson

Dr. Jennifer J. Lesh

Awards

Ted Brown

Student Representative

Gayle Zavala

Multi-Cultural Chair

Diane Johnson

Secretary

Cathy Bishop

Webmaster

Bianca Stidham

munication

cec.bianca@gmail.com

Honorary Historian

Dr. Landis Stetler

Dr. Fartun Mohamed

fartunkaafi@gmail.com

Newsletter

Cathy.Bishop@fldoe.org

Membership & Com-

Krystal Blackmon-Rhodes
cec.floridasecretary@gmail.com

dianej99@gmail.com
DOE Liaison

Kareem Thompson
klt98@hotmail.com

comadre11@aol.com
Advisor/ Historian

Lisa Jester
LisabJester@gmail.com

cec.tedbrown@gmail.com

CAN Representative

Dr. Raul Escarpio

rescarpi@mdc.edu

cec.jenniferlesh@gmail.com

Treasurer

Paula Evans
Cec.Paula@gmail.com

klt98@hotmail.com
Past-President

Dr. Mary Little

Dr. Diana Morales

Dmorales.13@hotmail.com

Division Liaison

Hannah Ehrli hannahe

hrli@gmail.com

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Leadership Conference

Volume 7 Issue 3

VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3

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2015 FLCEC LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Phyllis E. Superfisky, SFCC, Ph.D.

(Retired) Associate Professor of Education
Adrian Dominican School of Education,
Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida
Education: Earned Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Boston College (1990),
M.A. in French from St. Louis University (1997), and a B.A. in French and German from
Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1968.

Sister Phyllis Superfisky served as Associate Professor of Educational Administration and Director of the Catholic Educational Leadership program at Barry University from 1990 through 2013.
She was an active member of the Educational Leadership Department. She began her service at
Barry University shortly after earning her Ph.D. in Educational Administration at Boston College
in May, 1990 where she specialized in Curriculum, Instruction and Administration. Previous degrees awarded were an M.A in French from Saint Louis University, and a B.A. in French and German from Alverno College. "Sister Super" perceives leadership as a shared journey, as a pioneering of paths made by walking, and she attempts to share her leadership experience in unique
ways with every class in the hope that students will be inspired to forge new paths as they extend
their journey of leadership and life-long learning. Professional goals include the study and cultivation of qualities of soul/spirit needed to become inspiring leaders/pioneers in a rapidly chang-

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Chapter and Subdivision News

Tampa Bay Chapter 194 of the
Council for Exceptional Children
Presents the...
2015 CEC Tampa Bay Chapter 194
Annual Awards Banquet
Honoring the nominees for and announcing the recipients of:
ESE Teacher of the Year
ESE Rookie Teacher of the Year
Educational Support Person of the Year
Inclusionary Team of the Year
Special Instructional Services Individual of the Year
Administrator of the Year
Leslie Morris Community Impact Award
May 1, 2015
DoubleTree by Hilton, Tampa Airport- Westshore
4500 W. Cypress Street

Celebrate, Honor, and Rejoice!

View and bid on Student Artwork! All proceeds going to student needs.

Social Hour: 6:30 p.m. Dinner: 7:30 p.m.

Please detach this form and submit with your check made payable to:

Awards Presentation: 8:15 p.m.

CEC Chapter 194

CEC Chapter 194, Attn: Steven Eichhorn

Area VI District Office, Route #4

Your Name: __________________________________________________________

Site: ____________________________________ Route #: ___________________

Guest(s) Name(s): _____________________________________________________

Yes, I will be there to join the fun!

Please reserve _____ dinners @ $30.00 each

Volume 7 Issue 3

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THE IHE SUMMER INSTITUTE

Co-Sponsored by BEES
and The Florida Teacher Education Division

Florida Teacher Education Division

Its time to elect officers for next year. FTED is seeking nominations for
the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Please send nominations to Kim Zgonc (kzgonc@irsc.edu) by May 1, 2015.
Members will be able to vote electronically via the FTED website:
http://flted.weebly.com. Notifications will be sent when the ballot is prepared. Voting will close June 3, 2015.

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Chapter 200 - Palm Beach

The VSA Arts Festival provides a day of art booths and opportunities for SWD to perform each year. This is
the 18th year of this event and the local Chapter 200 has been a generous supporter. It has also given the
opportunity for local high school students to serve as volunteers to be peer buddies, mimes, and assist
with the festival.

Below: Chapter 200 also participated in fun

Fund Raising for scholarships for students
with Disabilities.

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Big Bend Chapter 311

Our CEC Big Bend Chapter 311 sponsored a social at a local restaurant in the fall for our current members
and to recruit prospective members. Over twenty-five persons attended, including some members of the local university student CEC chapter. As a result of the meeting, we were able to recruit some potential new
CEC chapter and board members. Everyone enjoyed talking about the latest initiatives and the impact they
were having on our schools. Our CEC board meets every few months to discuss recruitment initiatives and
plan for future Big Bend activities. We are always looking for ways to connect with our ESE teachers and help
address their concerns.
Pictured from left to right:
Mrs. Martha Fletcher, Leon County Schools ESE
Director , Mrs. Catie McRae, Big Bend Chapter President

Miami Dade Chapter 1210

Miami Dade College, CEC Student Chapter #1210, along with Project Early Identifications, Early Interventions Opportunities (Project EiEIO), an OSEP funded grant to prepare early childhood special education
teachers, recently held their second Hot Topic Series of the year on the subject of advocacy for parents. Isabel Garcia, Executive Director of Parent to Parent of Miami (PtoP), shared her unique story as a parent of a
child with a disability. She also spoke to our students about the organization and the importance of advocacy for all parents of children with special needs . PtoP is a Community Parent Resource Center serving
parents of children with disabilities in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. They help parents become better
prepared to meet the needs of their children. PtoP is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, The Children's Trust, various foundations, and donations. There
were over 40 participants in attendance along with faculty from the MDC School of Education. The next Hot
Topic Series will take place in the October of 2015.

Miami Dade College

held an Induction
Ceremony for its new
Chapter members.
Congratulations to all
the new members. The
keynote was Dr. Diana
Morales.

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Volume 7 Issue 3

SAVE THE DATE

Florida Council for Exceptional Children
69th Annual State Conference

October 1-3, 2015

Hilton Double Tree
60 South Ivanhoe Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32804
Keynote Speakers
Authors Juli K. Dixon, Ph.D
Jessica Dixon & Alex Dixon

Dr. Monica Verra-Tirado , Bureau Chief

FLDOE - Exceptional Education and Student Services
Hosted by the FCEC Board
Conference Registration

Hotel Reservations

& Information

$119 /nightly

www.floridacec.org

(866) 247-3571

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Florida Council for Exceptional Children

69th Annual State Conference

October 1-3, 2015

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

The Florida Council for Exceptional Children (FCEC) would like to invite all interested persons the 69th Annual FCEC Conference, proudly hosted by the State
Board, to be held at the Hilton Double Tree in Orange County Florida on October
1st-3rd, 2015. The Conference will continue the collaborative efforts with school
districts, universities, family organizations, and Florida Student CEC. Together
we will celebrate our mutual commitment to children and youth with special
needs. There will be nine (9) strands highlighted this year while we focus on our
practitioners being, THE HEART & SOUL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. We
are encouraging submissions focused on celebrating diversity, effective instructional strategies and the family.
You will NOT want to miss attending this annual conference ensuring to help RENEW, REJUVENATE and REACTIVATE yourself.
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS PROFESSIONAL DEADLINE: May 15, 2015
Professional Presenters will be notified by June 30, 2015 of acceptance or regrets.
STUDENT Kaleidoscope DEADLINE: Sept 15, 2015
Students will be notified by September 30, 2015 of acceptance or regrets.

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Volume 7 Issue 3

Florida Council for Exceptional Children

69th Annual State Conference
October 1-3, 2015

Presentations shall be in one of the following formats:

STUDENT "Kaleidoscope" POSTER SESSIONS: consist of a display of various
innovative strategies. Multiple poster sessions will be available for viewing with
presenter interaction throughout the overall poster session timeslot. Presenters of
poster sessions are expected to be available during the time allotment. Time limitation for this type session is 25 minutes each.
Professional Poster Sessions: consist of a display of various innovative strategies. Multiple poster sessions will be available for viewing with presenter interaction throughout the overall poster session timeslot. Presenters of poster sessions
are expected to be available during the time allotment. Time limitation for this
type session is 50 minutes each.
Interactive Session: consists of an individual or group presentation to increase
the knowledge of the participants through interactive information dissemination
and activities with the expectation that the presenter will provide materials and
informational packets with the presentation. Time limitation for this type session
is 90 minutes.
Demonstration/Lecture Session: consists of an individual or group presentation to increase the knowledge of the participants with the expectation that the
presenter will provide informational packets with the presentation. Time limitation for this type session is 40 minutes each.
*NEW* Professional Speed Dating: consists of preparing a "2 minute" elevator
speech on your area of interest by strand. Focusing on networking around a specific strand/topic the intention is to engage participants in a conversation and provide talking points colleagues that you will provide your business card or contact information for statewide networking. Time limitation for this type session is
6:5 minute rotations (2.5 minutes per speed-dating session) in a 40 minute session
room.

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Volume 7 Issue 3

Florida Council for Exceptional Children

69th Annual State Conference
October 1-3, 2015
2015 FCEC Conference Strands: 9 Total
Strand 1: School Climate and Discipline
Suggested topics for sessions
School-wide approaches
Positive behavioral support
Functional assessments of behavior
Behavior intervention plans
Research-validated practice
Prevention of bullying

Strand 2: Family/School Partnerships

Suggested topics for sessions:
Developing trust, collaboration and
partnerships
Involving families of students with
disabilities
Parent education, training and resources
Families as faculty
Para educator training and support
Participation in statewide assessments
State parent information and support sources

Strand 3: School, District and State

Administrative and Personnel Issues
Suggested topics for Sessions:
Legal issues regarding the implementation of IDEA
2004/ESEA/NCLB
State, District and School-Based
accountability
Professional Development Partnerships
Teacher preparation and out-offield teachers
Mentoring programs
Alternate certification
RACE TO THE TOP

Strand 4: Curriculum and Instruction for Students with Exceptionalities:

Especially: autism, sensory impairments, intellectual disabilities,
multiple disabilities
Suggested topics for sessions:
Access, participation, progress in
general curriculum, accommodations
Effective instructional practices/School-to-work, career, vocational transition services
Collaboration between special and
general education
Participation in statewide assessments/Alternate assessment
RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION

Strand 5: Early Childhood

Suggested topics for sessions:
Early Intervention
Collaboration between agencies and
families
Effective learning strategies for
young children
Child development
Assessment strategies for sensory
impairments

Strand 6: Transition
Suggested topics for sessions:
Self-determination
Self-Advocacy
Effective Community Connections
Programs for Young Adults with
Disabilities
College Programs for Students with
Cognitive Disabilities

Strand 8: International Partnerships and Global Social Justice for

People with Disabilities
Suggested topics for sessions:
International Connections to the
Welfare of People with Disabilities
Progress in Social Justice and International Policy for People with
Disabilities
Effective instructional practices
occurring Internationally
Collaboration between special and
general education in Department of
Defense Schools

Strand 9: Technology
Suggested topics for sessions:
Professional development
Evidence-based practices in the
classroom
Web-based distance learning

(RTI)/MTSS
Strand 7: Culturally, Linguistically,
and Socially Diverse Students with
Exceptionalities
Suggested topics for sessions:
Urban Education Issues
Bilingual Issues and English Language Learners
Over/ under representation of minority students in exceptional education
Closing achievement gaps
Teaching for Social Justice
Strengths, Prevention, and Empowerment
Language and Literacy Learning in
Multilingual Settings

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Volume 7 Issue 3

Florida Council for Exceptional Children

69th Annual State Conference
October 1-3, 2015

SUBMISSION PROCESS
Submissions are to be completed FULLY online at: Florida Council for Exceptional Children
2015 Call
Please submit your proposal by May 15TH, 2015 FULLY ONLINE
If you require support during the submission process please contact FCECconference@gmail.com
Presenter Guidelines and Requirements:
Individuals may submit proposals.
Please do not list individuals as presenters unless you have a definite commitment that they
will present.
Sessions will be scheduled throughout the conference. Presenters are expected to be available at their scheduled time. Sessions times will not be rescheduled or negotiated. Technology provided includes an LCD projector, screen and computer, internet will not be provided.
Please note that all presenters are responsible for all registration fees and expenses and
MUST register NO LATER than Sept 1, 2015 or will be dropped from the program.
Mission
The Council for Exceptional Children is an international community of professionals who are the voice and vision of
special and gifted education. CEC's mission is to improve, through excellence and advocacy, the education and quality of life for children and youth with exceptionalities and to enhance the engagement of their families.
We ask each speaker to conform to these practices:
Required Practices:
1. Acknowledge verbally and/or in writing the work of others, including students and teachers, when used in presentations, resources, or handouts.
2. Respect the rightful dignity and social equity of all individuals.
3. Abide by copyright laws including acknowledging that all presentation materials are intended for participants
personal use only. Further reproduction and dissemination in whole or in part, requires the permission of the authors and contributors.
4. Refrain from using graphics, cartoons, photographs, other images or materials unless you have explicit permission from the publisher.
5. Remind the audience, verbally or in writing, that the views expressed in your presentation are your own, and do
not necessarily reflect those of CEC.
6. Disclose to your audience any financial or proprietary interest you hold in any program, product, service, device,
or approach you discuss. Refrain from using your presentation for the overt promotion of any commercial program,
product, service, device, or approach.
7. Last but certainly not least, use persons first language when presenting materials.

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2015 Florida CEC Vice President Candidates

Danny Davis was born in St Joseph, MO, the home of the Pony Express. With his father in the United
States Navy Davis moved frequently in his childhood throughout the central and western United States.
He graduated from High School in Lansing, Kansas and went to Baker University, a United Methodist
related college in Baldwin City, KS. He spent 3 years at Baker studying music education. In 1976
Davis joined the United State Navy as a hospital corpsmen. He served in Jacksonville, FL at the Naval
Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Mayport Naval Station. After the Navy, Davis completed his degree
studies in Organizational Theory and Management at Jacksonville University. He worked briefly for
Dean Witter Reynolds as a financial advisor before taking his family to Atlanta to attend the Candler
School of Theology at Emory University where he earned a Masters in Divinity. Davis came back to Florida and served as a pastor
in the Florida conference of the United Methodist church. In 1996, Davis left pastoral ministry and took a position with Church
World Service in Miami supervising a legal services program for immigrants from Haiti and Cuba. In 2002 he became the executive
director of Florida CHAIN, a non-profit seeking justice in the health care field. In 2005 Davis obtained his teaching credentials in
the state of Florida as a teacher of children with autism. He is currently teaching in a self-contained autism classroom in the Broward public school system. In 2010 he received his autism endorsement from the Florida Department of Education through studies
in the graduate school of Education at University of Florida. In 2010 Davis was Florida Teacher of the Year for American Board of
Certification for Teacher Excellence.
Davis is married to Pamela. They have two grown children, Marcus and Michelle, both of whom are married, and three grandchildren. Danny and Pam have been married for 35 years. They both have served as advocates for children at the state and national
level. Davis has taught advocacy skills to the AFL CIO and SEIU along with various church organizations in the state of Florida.
Davis has acted as a lobbyist for childrens justice and health issues in the state of Florida. He currently serves as the president of
the Florida sub-division for autism and developmental disabilities. He is active in the Florida CEC and participates with many of his
parents in programs for the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities.

"Inspire. Innovate. Instigate"

Dr. Fartun Mohamud is an educator and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor committed to advancing
inclusive practices for all students including students with disabilities. She has over 13 years of experience working with the Palm Beach County School District and is a passionate promoter of educational
equity, culturally responsive pedagogy and inclusive practices.
Relentless in her quest to remove barriers to learning, she has been instrumental in developing and implementing numerous programs and workshops that address the needs of diverse student populations and
multi-cultural communities. Inspired by the need for an ongoing discussion on teaching and learning, Dr
Mohamud founded Global Inclusive Practices where she provides professional learning opportunities in collaborative leadership/
teaching/planning, progress monitoring of intensive and individualized academic/behavioral interventions and workshops where
teachers and community leaders can reexamine educational systems and consider innovative alternatives.
Dr. Mohamud is a special education advocate and is currently serving as the Vice President of the Palm Beach Chapter # 200 of the
Council for Exceptional Children. She is also a member of good standing and a volunteer for the International Association for Special Education and an adjunct professor at Lynn University. She has worked with many school districts in South Florida as part
of The Florida Inclusion Network (FIN). As FIN Facilitator for South Florida, she has restructured and developed programming in
areas of access, equity, and academic excellence for students with disabilities. She has worked extensively with district leaders helping to ensure that programs and priorities are aligned to support inclusive practices for students with disabilities. She is well respected for her accomplishments as an educator, a teacher leader and a district based administrator as well as for her ability to inspire and support school and district administrators in the building of systems of accountability for student success.
Dr. Mohamud believes in a healthy educational climate where barriers are broken and bridges built in favor of inclusion and diversity. She believes inspiration fosters innovation and is dedicated to inspiring our teachers and revolutionizing the way we
teach ALL of our children.

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2015 Florida CEC President-Elect Candidate

Kareem Thompson is a native of Delray Beach, Florida and resides in Lake Worth, Florida. He
works for the School District of Palm Beach County, where he serves as Assistant Principal at
Congress Middle School in Boynton Beach, Florida. Mr. Thompson has served in several positions over the past twelve years from Inclusion Teacher, ESE Coordinator, Response to Intervention Facilitator, to a District Compliance Specialist. Kareem also serves as an Adjunct Professor
at Palm Beach State College.
Mr. Thompson received a Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education (Varying Exceptionalities) from Florida Memorial University; and a Master of Science in Administration and
Management of Educational Programs from Nova Southeastern University (NSU). He is pursuing
an Educational Doctorate Degree in Instructional Leadership at NSU.
While at Florida Memorial University, Kareem served as Vice President and President of the Pre-Alumni Council; Member of the
Universitys Board of Trustee; Student Government Association President (2001-2002); a board member of the National Pre-Alumni
Council of the United Negro College Fund as the Central Regional Director (2001-2002); and as program facilitator for MAD DADS
(Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder) of Greater Delray Beach.
In addition, Mr. Thompson is an active member of his community. Currently, he serves as Vice President of the Florida Council for
Exceptional Children; President of the Palm Beach Council for Exceptional Children; trustee and associate minister of Supernatural
Deliverance Church of Christ, Inc. and officer and member of the Delray Community Choir. Formerly, he served as Vice President
of the Board of Directors for MAD DADS of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast; former member of the Board for the Roots
Cultural Festival, Inc. of Delray Beach;
As a result of his commitment to children and his community, he has received several awards and recognition including 2013 Community Service Leader presented by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (Omicron Delta Zeta Chapter); 2012 Distinguish Panelist for the
Broad Prize for Urban Education; 2012 Special Educator of the Year presented by the Palm Beach Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children, Praise & Worship Experience Magazine 2012, 2013, 2014 Black Educator of the Year & Minister of the Year; 2005
Trailblazer Award presented by the City of Delray Beach & the CLASS program; Whos Who Among Colleges and Universities;
American Scholar; National Pre-Alumni Council Regional Director of the Year; Florida Memorial University College of Education Senior of the Year, and Student Government Cabinet Member of the Year.

Duties of the Vice President and Secretary

The position of the Vice-President is a four-year position, which is voted upon by the membership in good standing. The position
moves to President-Elect, President, and then to Past-President
The powers and duties of the vice president shall be:
1. To serve in the place of, and with the authority of, the president in case of the presidents and president elects absence or inability
to serve; and
2. To serve as a member of the program committee and assist the president elect in planning the annual conference.

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FCEC CAN SPRING UPDATE

APRIL 2015
BY: GAYLE ZAVALA FCEC CAN COORDINATOR
Good news and not so good news from our recent visit to Tallahassee, Florida for the annual Spring Training to
learn about the proposed legislation and budget proposals. The good news was that the weather was beautiful
and the collaboration with other professionals that serve Students with Exceptional Needs. I would also like to
thank all chapters and divisions who sent representation to Tallahassee the week of March 16 th. For some of
them, it was their Spring Break week. The not so good news was the continued lack of needed financial support
for our Exceptional Student Education Funding. In addition there are proposed bills, which had positives and
negatives. Last but not least, the CEES (Coalition of Educators of Exceptional Students) is going through transition this summer. We have had a generously good partnership with Bob and John Cerra over several years, but
due to a lack of financial support from former coalition members, the continuation of the coalition will be discussed and determined this summer.
The basic school allocation, which is what all students in the general education system receive has continued to
recover over the last 8 years. The allocations for ESE students has NOT recovered. This needs to be one of the
major items we need to advocate for and voice our concerns with our legislators. FCEC members and their
friends and family need to contact their legislative state representative and governor via email, tweeting, Facebook, face to face visits to local legislative offices.
While it is evident from the presentation done by Cathy Bishop from the Bureau of Exceptional Education that
more Students with Disabilities are being placed in regular classrooms, their needs do not end there. While many
now have access to general curriculum and opportunities to earn a standard diploma, the curriculum continues to
be more rigorous. Additionally, many of our students who are being served in the regular class setting are achieving significantly below grade level in Reading and Math. Making growth from where they are to where they need
to be requires direct instruction that our ESE teachers are trained to provide. But funding to provide the ratio of
ESE teacher to SWD in the general education classroom falls far short where it needs to be.
Governor Scott has submitted his proposal of $993,140,763, to the legislators for Student Education (ESE) Guaranteed Allocation. The House and Senate will need to agree on an amount but it is not expected to be what is
needed. There negotiation is going on right now.
There is also great concern for the Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts which legislation approved last session. There was originally a little over $18,000,000 allocated for this to parents of students with significant disabilities at home. It was increased by 5 million but was still not enough to meet those on the waiting list. To meet
the amount including those on the waiting list, there would have to be an allocation of $45 million. No matter,
how individuals stand on this piece of legislation, the concern is will this separate allocation impact the ESE allocation that serves SWD that attend our Florida public schools?
Moving on to proposed bills that are moving through committees that were discussed at our training, some are
fairly simple and others more complex. Senate Bill 0152 RELATING TO DISABILITY AWARENESS this
bill would require that districts mandate disability history and awareness instruction in all K-12 public schools
beginning in a specified school year and that each public school establish a disability history and awareness advisory council. They are supporting that schools recruit speakers who have disabilities or work with individuals
with disabilities. This bill brings positive focus on SWD and the importance of our need to support them.
House Bill 0505 with a partner Senate Bill 0514 RELATING TO BAKER ACT Requires DCF to create work
group to provide recommendations relating to revision of Baker Act, requires workgroup to make recommendations on specified topics, provides from membership and meetings; requires review of draft recommendations by
specified date; requires workgroup to submit report to specified entities and Legislature by specified date. This
is an important bill that needs the input of a well-informed workgroup. We had the pleasure of spending time
and making legislative visits with colleagues from Broward and Seminole Counties that represented the organization of school social workers. Many of our counties have an active social worker support who are quite familiar
with SWD and their families. They advocated for the inclusion of School Social Workers in the work group. In
addition, within our Florida CEC membership, there may be experts who could add voice for our SWD who could
be affected by Baker Act referrals.

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CAN Update (Continued)

Senate Bill 0530 RELATING TO BULLYING AND HARASSMENT POLICES IN SCHOOLS Requires school
districts to revise their bullying and harassment policies at specified intervals; specifying district policy require a
school to implement the policy in a certain manner and integrate it with the schools bullying prevention an intervention program. Many of our school districts may be already implementing these types of policies or parts of
them. However, Positive Intervention Behavior Support programs (PBIS), which are mandated in some counties,
are often not funded. Training and implementation of these research-based programs require continued funding
to make an impact that could prevent bullying and harassment in our public schools.
Senate Bill 0602 RELATING TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Revising scholarship application deadlines and guidelines. This would expand to other disabilities, specifically to students on the Autism Spectrum.
This would also authorize pre-paid college plan to be purchased.
Senate Bill 0616 RELATING TO EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY Revising requirements for the administration of local assessments; revising the percentage thresholds for performance evaluation criteria for instructional personnel and school administrators; authorizing a school district to request approval from the state board
to use student performance results on new statewide assessments for diagnostic and baseline purposes. This has
many pieces to it. It addresses over-testing of our students, teacher evaluation, the grading of schools based on
student assessment scores. All of these topics are hot items that teacher who work with SWD need to address
with their legislators. Inviting legislators and/or their staff to visit your classrooms would be a great opportunity
to see how over-testing hurts SWD and to see how some of our classrooms dont fit into the performance evaluation criteria.
Senate Bill 1008 RELATING TO SECULSION AND RESTRAINT ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS Requires that manual physical restraint be used only in an emergency when there is an
imminent risk of serious injury or death to a student or others; prohibiting the use of manual physical restraint
by school personnel who are not certified to use district-approved methods for applying restraint techniques; prohibiting school personnel from placing a student in seclusion; requiring that parents be notified of a school districts polices regarding the use of manual physical restraint. The FCEC platform has continued to support legislation that prohibits the use of physical restraint for discipline, non-compliance, or convenience of adults. However, legislation like this leaves out scenarios (i.e. serious destruction of property), which could also be considered
an emergency.
Senate Bill 7006 RELATING TO EARLY LEARNING This bill has a number of pieces attached to it, but the
item discussed the most was authorizing a district school board or charter school governing board to adopt a policy to allow a child to be admitted to a public kindergarten if the child meet certain requirements. Basically this
means children could start kindergarten at an earlier age (possibly as young as 4 years). They would have to be
able to pass a screening of approximately 30 skills (i.e. letter identification, colors, sequencing directions, adding
single digit numbers). There was a variety of feedback regarding this bill both pro and con.
Last but not least, our organization continues to agree that legislative advocacy is critical. Policies, rules, funding
greatly effects the services we offer our students and our profession. We will be meeting this summer to decide
the future of CEES and whether we will be able to fund an information specialist to do the research on bills and
funding decisions in our state. FCEC and CASE have been generous donors in addition to individual FCEC chapters and a few other organizations. We need to know the feelings of the membership on this and if you are interested in meeting this summer to rebuild our Advocacy direction. You can contact me, Gayle Zavala
(comadre11@aol.com) or Diane Johnson (cees2009@gmail.com). Meanwhile, let Tallahassee know how you feel
about the budget and bills that help or hurt SWD. To find your representative, you can go to (https://
www.flsenate.gov) to find your Senator and (http://www.myfloridahouse.gov) to find your House Representative.
If you work in a different legislative district then where you live, I encourage you to contact the legislators who
govern that area. Remember your voice matters, legislators and their legislative staff need to continue to learn
about our successes and our challenges. If you would like tips on effective communication with legislative staff or
how a bill becomes a law, feel free to contact me.

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FLO R I D A C O U NC I L FO R NE WS L E T T E R

Volume 7 Issue 3

Helen Pastore
The 2015 CEC Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year

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FLO R I D A C O U NC I L FO R NE WS L E T T E R

Volume 7 Issue 3