Special Education Spotlight

Topics this week: when to use releases, January Zoom Team Meeting Recap, ALT ELPA reference sheet, and Transition Services Survey.

Q: When should we have parents/guardians sign a release to share information about a student?

A: In Rule 51, we follow this guidance for students on an IEP:

Consent means that the parent has been fully informed of all information relevant to the activity for which consent is sought, in his or her native language, or other mode of communication; that the parent understands and agrees in writing to the carrying out of the activity for which his or her consent is sought; that the consent includes a description of the proposed activity and a list of records (if any) which will be released and to whom they will be released; and the parent understands that the granting of consent is voluntary and may be revoked at any time.

If a parent revokes consent, that revocation is not retroactive (i.e., it does not negate an action that has occurred after the consent was given and before the consent was revoked). If the parent revokes consent in writing for their child’s receipt of special education services after the child is initially provided special education and related services, the school district or approved cooperative is not required to amend the child’s education records to remove any references to the child’s receipt of special education and related services because of the revocation of consent.

Continue to use our Agency Release Hub when sharing information with other agencies.

Source: NDE Rule 51

Here is the link with the passcode for the January Zoom team meeting. Access the video by clicking the Zoom icon below. You will need to enter the passcode to access the video.

Passcode: tgw2dP?E

"Some may call her Ms. Macaroni, speech expert, AAC whiz, autism whisperer, behavior guru, keeper of the goods, cupcake connoisseur, grandma (x2!), but we call her FRIEND (and coworker). Thank you Renae for helping ALL students and staff at Harney. Our department wouldn't be the same without you!!!!"

If you have a student participating in ALT ELPA, please reference the document titled "ELPA Alt Assessment" for notes on where to include information and specific verbiage for the IEP.

Please take a moment to complete this survey for the State of Nebraska about Transition Services.

From NDE:

"This survey allows Transition Facilitators to assess the impact of services over the past year and identify the critical needs for the upcoming year. Your honest input directly influences future planning, professional development topics, and the allocation of resources to support student success as they move into adulthood...the survey covers several key areas, including: family engagement, interagency collaboration, program structures, and student development/focused planning."

The survey will remain open through February 13th. Please find the link included below.

We appreciate your time and attention to detail as it pertains to paperwork associated with special education!

Joanna, Jennifer, and Bertha will be monitoring open forms on SRS. Please help the team by ensuring SRS forms are finalized after the meeting within 7-10 days. We will be pulling data monthly and reaching out to ensure we are finalizing our paperwork in a timely manner. Thank you for helping us maintain our special education records!

When you email me, please include the student's full name, grade level, alternate formatting needed for NSCAS 2026, and how that determination was made for the student.

📆 January 27th - New SPED Teacher PD Day

💻 February 3rd - Monthly Team Zoom Meeting (3:15-3:45)

💻 February 4th - Monthly Team Zoom Meeting (7:45-8:15)

For those who appreciate the opportunity to plan ahead, here are the dates for the 25-26 school year for our monthly SPED Team Meetings. Please click on the attachment to access the dates. The attached document (below) has been updated to reflect these changes. At our monthly Zoom meeting, I will show everyone how to use Gemini to add the remaining calendar dates to your personal calendar at once!

Please give us feedback on what we should keep doing, start doing, and stop doing for the upcoming year! Please share your thoughts and recommendations. We want to hear from you! The "Planning for the Upcoming Year" button above is linked to a form for you to provide your feedback!