Special education advisory committee reports 23 of 24 indicators met; district to expand family trainings

The Garrett County Board of Education on June 10 received the annual report from the district’s Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (CCAC), which said the district met 23 of 24 state indicators for special education parent involvement and support and described a slate of family-focused trainings and events implemented during the year.

Dr. Mangus presented the advisory committee’s findings and recommendations, saying the CCAC is a countywide advisory body made up of teachers, parents and community members. The committee reviewed special education data, fidelity checks of specially designed instruction, state indicator reports and diagnostic assessments and asked parents what trainings they wanted.

The CCAC reported a participation rate of about 20% on the Maryland parent involvement survey, higher than the state average but below what the district seeks. The committee identified one indicator not met: parents feeling they were provided sufficient information about outside agencies that assist their child. In response, the district offered four “lunch-and-learn” sessions about outside agencies (including Western Maryland Consortium, Appalachian Crossroads, Garrett College and Resources for Independence) and held a secondary transition fair attended by more than 20 agencies.

Committee activities highlighted Special Olympics partnerships, unified sports at the elementary level, two torch runs and several family events. The district ran a summer training focused on behavior supports delivered by board-certified behavior analysts and provided families with take-home resources such as visual schedules and first-then charts. The CCAC said nearly 150 people attended the district’s back-to-school family event this year.

Looking ahead, the CCAC and special education staff said the district will offer speech and language family training this summer to respond to a countywide increase in speech and language needs, and will continue to use community schools and Judy Center events to reach families. Board members asked whether community schools showed higher participation; staff said they do not have hard data but noted greater family opportunities at community schools.

The CCAC’s report is an advisory document; no board action was required. The committee’s recommendations will inform special education programming, family engagement strategies and staff training for the coming school year.