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Co-Director, Iowa Behavioral Alliance
Associate Professor, Special Education, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University
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What are the priority special education legal issues that should be brought to administrators attention? |
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I believe that the foremost ongoing legal issue that administrators face in special education is to challenge their staff and others working with their special education programs and services to be able to carefully describe how the programs and services provided for individual students are providing meaningful benefit and are based on the best we can do as far as applying evidence based interventions. In addition, I think that other legal challenges such as least restrictive environment considerations or discipline matters go back to the basic question of whether appropriate programs and services have, in fact, been provided. In many places in Iowa we are still having particular problems in serving students with significant social, emotional and behavioral needs.
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What resources are available for administrators concerning behavior and discipline of students with special needs? |
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As far as resources available for administrators in the behavior and discipline areas I would first refer them to their individual AEAs. In some cases, AEA 15 for example, the AEA maintains a team of professionals who are addressing this area. I would also recommend that administrators contact the Department of Education and speak with folks such as Suana Wessendorf or Linda Miller to ask for specific information that has been prepared by the SEA. I am also hoping that as we develop the Iowa Behavioral Alliance, housed at Drake, that we will have more information available to assist in these areas.
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What are some obvious things administators should do or should not do in regard to behavior and discipline? |
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Among the most important things I would like to see administrators consider in the behavior and discipline of students are questions regarding what opportunities have been provided for a student to learn alternative behaviors to those which are of concern to staff and others. Related to this are questions regarding what programs and services are teaching appropriate behaviors with strategies that go beyond just consequating unacceptable behaviors.
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Contact Information
Carl R. Smith
Co-Director, Iowa Behavioral Alliance
Associate Professor, Special Education, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University
csmith@iastate.edu |
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