Special-education committee reports ACES program updates: cameras, sensory room, parent outreach and orientation

The board received a report from the special education (ACES) committee summarizing summer preparations for the ACES program and related family engagement plans. According to committee notes read at the meeting, ACES will adopt an ocean theme across classrooms and courtyard, add two classrooms in the ACES hallway to house classrooms in a single wing, move the sensory and specials rooms to larger and more accessible spaces, and install cameras in each ACES classroom plus two in the courtyard pending final approval. The committee reported a Google Doc will replace paper logbooks for administrators to record classroom visits and provide feedback to special education staff. The ACES parent committee held its first combined in-person/virtual meeting on July 24; the committee reported 12 parents participated (seven in person and five virtually). An ACES orientation for families will be scheduled in August with alternate opportunities for families who cannot attend. The district also completed an ESS onboarding video; ESS staff will complete an exit assessment to document onboarding completion. "The ACEs Facebook page is up and running. It's ACEs of BTSD," the committee report states, and administrators provided the board with a draft Google Doc for classroom-visit feedback. The committee said administrators believe all tasks will be completed in time for school opening. The ACES committee will meet again on Aug. 18 to continue implementation tasks.