Board hears Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee outreach, parent survey and resources update

Wicomico County Public Schools staff described work by the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (CCAC), outreach to families and a pending grant proposal to train families as local ambassadors for families of students with disabilities.

Kevin (presenter) and LaVonne Atkins, family support coordinator and CCAC chair, briefed the board on CCAC activities, meeting logistics and parent engagement related to the Maryland Parent Survey. Staff said Maryland requires each school system to maintain a CCAC and that parent input is a cornerstone of the IDEA process and the district’s special-education grant planning.

Why it matters: CCAC feedback informs the district’s IDEA Part B discretionary spending, training priorities and supports families’ understanding of IEP procedures and procedural safeguards.

Staff said CCAC meetings are held in September, October, February and March, typically on Thursday evenings from 6 to 7:30 p.m., in a hybrid format at Prince Street, with interpreters available on request. The CCAC uses modest IDEA discretionary funds to contract providers, print materials and support parent workshops; staff maintain a Maryland State Department of Education parent-information binder divided into five sections (including special-education process and parental rights and procedural safeguards) and distribute materials at fairs and meetings.

District staff urged families to complete the Maryland Parent Survey; staff reported that last year more than 80 percent of respondents who took that special-education survey participated (staff did not provide a total eligible-population…