Programs and Services Overview
The East Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) coordinates special education services for more than 10,000 special education students within five school districts, including Colton Joint Unified, Redlands Unified, Rialto Unified, Rim of the World Unified, Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified, plus San Bernardino County Schools-East Valley Student Services. The districts have joined together to ensure that students with disabilities are provided appropriate educational services in the least restrictive environment. The SELPA provides services and program support in five broard areas: administration, administrative services, fiscal services, professional learning, and direct student services.
The SELPA Chief Administrative Officer is responsible for developing and implementing procedures in accordance with the Board of Directors' policies. Other responsibilities include facilitating the SELPA Community Advisory Committee (CAC); developing and implementing operating procedures; coordinating regionalized services; developing annual income and expenditure budgets for the SELPA; coordinating professional learning opportunities; developing interagency agreements; facilitating the provision of regional programs; ensuring procedural safeguards and due process rights; coordinating services via the Transition Partnership Program; representing the SELPA at local, regional and state meetings; and serving as a liaison between the SELPA and its member districts with the California Department of Education. A SELPA program manager for due process coordinates activtites related to procedural safeguards and due process. These include assisting districts in filings with the Office of Administrative Hearings including resolutions sessions, settlement sessions, mediations and fair hearings; workign with attorneys to represent member districts and provide information on federal and state laws related to special education; and providing in-service trainings. A SELPA program manager for regional services supports member districts by working with representative from each participating district or agency as well as SELPA and state personnel to coordinate activities related to compliance and procedural practices. Responsibilities include assisting districts with compliance review preparation and activities; providing oversight for students placed in nonpublic schools; revising SELPA policies and procedures handbook; coordinating and faciliting the SELPA alternative dispute resolution activities; and reviewing and revising SELPA forms, including IEP forms, to comply with state and federal law.
EV SELPA office team members provide administrative support to the SELPA's member districts. This includes student data maintenance and support of the vendor provided WebIEP program along with its application program interface to the districts' CALPADS systems; nonpublic school and agency contract development along with individual service agreements, billing, monitoring; the scheduling and facilitating of all professional development sessions and workshops offered by the SELPA, Region 10 subcommittees and the Los Angeles Diagnostic Center as we as conferences hosted by the EV SELPA include the annual statewide Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Conference and the Southern California Postive Environment Network of Trainers (PENT) Forum; the procurement, maintenance and processing of low Incidence equipment procurement and processing; the processing of filings, complaints and settlement documentation, and the processicng and follow-up on district referrals.
An EV SELPA Fiscal Consultant isresponsible for coordinating the fiscal procedures and functions of the SELPA and acts in an advisory capacity to the districts regarding special education funding. Responsibilities include the working with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Business Services Branch to ensure the acceptance and distribution to member districts of special education funding per the EV SELPA Fiscal Allocation Plan; fiscal planning and compliance; budget development and implementation; state and federal fiscal reporting; and oversight of grants to ensure appropriate fiscal adherence and compliance.
The EV SELPA provides professional learning opportunties and parent training for staff, parents and community members. To efficiently meet the needs of each district in the East Valley SELPA, the program specialists of the EV SELPA serve as a resource to administrators, general education teachers, special education teachers, related services personnel, students and parents, and are under the direction and supervision of the SELPA Administrator. The services they provide include: Behavior Intervention: develop, together with the teacher and student, behavior support plans for specific students; Core Curriculum: assist in developing and/or adapting the core curriculum to meet the changing needs of special education individuals in the classroom; IEP Meetings: serve as a resource person for IEP teams in development of IEP goals and objectives; Instructional Techniques: demonstrate specific instructional techniques or the use of specific materials; Inclusion/Collaboration: give assistance to teachers, parents and students in providing integration of special education students into regular education classrooms or into the community; Observation: observe or provide informal assessment of students about whom school personnel have serious concerns; General Education Students with Special Needs: provide strategies and materials to use with the child who does not qualify for special education services; Specialized Materials: assist in locating or preparing specialized materials for students with unique problems; Training: provide training to regular and special education teachers, instructional aides, administrators and parents on a variety of topics based on specific needs or requests; and Transition: assist in planning for students at all levels who are preparing for transition from formal education to adult life. In addition, an autism program specialist employed by the EV SELPA supports member districts and parents in meeting the needs of students with autism.
Based on decisions made by the EV SELPA Board of Directors, staff of the EV SELPA provide direct student services in three areas: occupational therapy, physical therapy and educationally related mental health services. EV SELPA staff who provide these services work itinerantly in the SELPA member districts providing direct assistance to administrators, individual teachers, support staff, parents, and students as requested and as agreed to in student IEPs. School-based occupational and physical therapists employed by the EV SELPA provide assessment, therapy, and consultation for children 3-22 years of age in special education as part of a multidisciplinary team; evaluate abnormal patterns of posture and movement; and assist teachers in developing functional fine motor goals for the IEP. Behavior health counselors employed by the EV SELPA evaluate the need for school-based mental health services; provide individual in-school counseling and residential monitoring; engage in collateral contact with teachers and parents. In addition the EV SELPA employs a program manager for behavioral health who oversees the behavior health services and facilitates all aspects of the student placements in resdential facilities for member districts. In addition to administering the operations of the behavior health program, responsiblities include collaborating with private and public agencies including school districts and community agencies; conducting assessments and providing oversight of residentially placed students; coordinating in-home behavioral/social work services for students; training and supervising staff; and reviewing program budget and staffing.
The EV SELPA is fortunate to be the recipient of grants that allow for additional direct services to students in member districts. The SELPA is a long time and successful recipient of a Transition Partnership Project (TPP) grant from the Department of Rehabilitation. For more than 25 years, EV SELPA TPP staff have worked with high school teachers in all of its member districts to support the development of pre-employment skills for special special education high school juniors and seniors. The grant has allowed the SELPA to work with local employers to access and support student work-based learning.
In addition, the EV SELPA is the recipient of CDE grants for alternative dispute resoltuion (ADR) activities and supporting inclusive practices (SIP).
