Pupil Services Newsletter

The Pupil Services Newsletter will be released quarterly to provide updates on important topics related to special education. Please read below for information on our new IEP (CT-SEDS), upcoming events, news and resources. A link to newsletters will be sent via PowerSchool communication and it will also be posted on our WHPS Pupil Services website landing page.

We had a great first Special Education Parent Teacher Organization (SEPTO) meeting in October! The information in the newsletter summarizes the key points of our presentation. We look forward to seeing you at a future event!

In Partnership,

Kelly Brouse, Assistant Director of Pupil Services

Melissa Caballero, Executive Director of Pupil Services

November 17th, 7:00pm: SEPTO, Virtual Meeting, Link will be sent closer to meeting

November 18th, 6:00pm: CPAC: Understanding Dyslexia Evaluations

December:

December 5th, 7:00pm: Unified Theater Performance, Hall High

No Tickets Needed!

Save the Date:

Transition Night, January 21st, 7:00pm (snow date: 1/28/26)

SEPTO, January 27th, 7:00pm Virtual Meeting

The Whiting Lane ELC PTO continues to write magical chapters for the WL ELC school community! We want to thank them for hosting the Second Annual Community Event: Touch-a-Truck. The first hour was a special story just for our ELC students and their families, with a sensory-friendly focus that made the experience extra enchanting for little learners. West Hartford families were invited to check out amazing vehicles during the event, including fire trucks, monster trucks, and more!

Representation in our extended West Hartford community matters! Children in West Hartford were invited to trick or treat at two inclusion-focused events. The Miracle League Trunk or Treat took place Saturday, October 25 and our SEPTO leadership hosted a trunk. The same day, West Hartford Mom's and More hosted the Halloween Stroll in West Hartford center and our very own post-secondary students greeted costumed visitors at the Next Chapter Bookstore. Ensuring our students have access and visibility in the broader West Hartford community is an important step in their growth and development!

As part of ACPE and collab with health and IA students, our teachers started this garden program a few years ago and each year expand it. This year, they just build a greenhouse to use over the winter. The students and staff recently harvested 32 pounds of sweet potatoes! Those potatoes are currently being "cured" and then are being donated to the SMS cafeteria for them to cook and serve to the SMS students.

Special thanks to Steve Garneau (PE), Colin Bowie (Health), Deb Newhouse & Victoria Bates (IA), Peter Pfeffer (retired PE teacher) and the wonderful student aides and paraeducators that support the IA students and the garden. They put their boots and coats on and get right out there with the students!

Mission: Amplify Visibility, Celebrate Legacy

West Hartford Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Services is proud to partner with renowned muralist Michael Rice to bring our community’s story to life in bold color and powerful symbolism. This public art installation will honor the vibrant history, resilience, and contributions of our local DHH community, transforming a highly visible wall into a beacon of inclusion and pride. The Unified in Expression Event held November 5th in Blue Back Square was well attended with overwhelming support from the community!

Join us in making history one brushstroke at a time!

Share Your Story!

Stay Connected!

Donations Welcome!

We appreciate hearing from you! We ask that you take a few moments to complete the below surveys to provide us input as we continue our efforts to increase parent and community engagement, as well as review our current systems for continuous improvement! Thank you for taking the time to provide us this valuable information!

Help us plan future events! Complete the Parent/Community Event Survey to share topics of interest to you and provide input on the setting, timing and structure as we plan future events for families!

We like to hear from Parents/Caregivers regarding the extended school year. Please take a moment to complete the Parent/Caregiver ESY 2025 Survey! Thank you in advance for your input!

We will be hosting Coffee with the Directors virtual meetings throughout the school year to stay connected with parents/caregivers. This is an opportunity for us to discuss special education related topics and share news and updates with you. Given the open nature of this meeting setting, we will discuss broad special education topics, related content and questions. We are happy to answer or discuss specific information related to your child’s programming privately. An email reminder and link will be sent closer to each meeting date.

Grab a cup of coffee and join us!

2026 Dates to be announced.

It was a busy legislative summer session, with quite a few special education updates. Please see the highlights below.

Developmental Delay Exceptionality: Changed to ages 3-8 (previously age 5)

Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans: The bill requires boards of education to conduct a functional behavior assessment and develop or update a behavioral intervention plan before placing a student with challenging behavior out of district. However, a board of education is exempt from this requirement if taking the time to comply would pose a safety risk. (The SDE shall develop guidance for boards of education to determine the circumstances under which this exemption applies.)

Office of the Educational Ombudsperson: The bill establishes an Office of the Educational Ombudsperson to, among other things, review and attempt to resolve complaints from families, assist school district employees involved in PPT meetings and monitor the implementation of federal, state and local laws and policies relating to students.

Instructional support partners: Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, boards of education must hire or designate an employee to serve as an “instructional support partner” for each school or school building. The instructional support partner must spend at least 50 percent of their time on duties related to IEP development, PPT meetings, attending and providing trainings on student interventions and IEP administration, among other tasks.

Requirements before changing student outplacement: The bill prohibits boards of education and other entities from transferring an out-of-district special education student to any other school or facility unless a PPT finds that the transfer better fits the student’s educational needs.

IEP changes: The bill requires the SDE to revise the state’s IEP form to remove the requirement to list the people who will implement the IEP.

Many other initiatives found under the legislative updates include closer CSDE oversight, management and cost caps for private providers of special education. Additionally, we anticipate that many grants will be forthcoming to support initiatives around building and the expansion of specialized programming that can be developed in the public school system.

The full overview can be viewed at Full Legislative Update Summary

The Bridge Family Center and Counseling Services

Provides no cost clinical services in the school for students, including groups and mentorship opportunities.

Bridge Middle School Outpatient Counseling Program: available to any student in the 3 middle schools for private pay, separate service, insurance based clinical services provided during the school day.

West Hartford Social Services

Urgent Crisis Centers (UCCs)

SERC School-based Center for Prevention, Education and Advocacy

What is ESY?

Extended School Year (ESY) services are services that extend beyond the regular school year that are necessary to provide a student with a free appropriate education, and to enable the student to continue to make educational progress when the regular school year resumes. These services are individually designed to meet specific objectives included in the student's individualized education program (IEP) and are part of what is considered a free appropriate public education for the student receiving the services. ESY is not required for all students eligible for special education. ESY is considered on an annual basis at a student's annual review. State Guidance document brief on ESY.

Save the Date Summer 2026:

July 6th- July 31st, Monday-Friday

We like to hear from Parents/Caregivers regarding the extended school year. Please take a moment to complete the Parent/Caregiver ESY 2025 Survey! Thank you in advance for your input!

The Connecticut Special Education Data System (CT-SEDS) was launched on July 1, 2022 in an effort to calibrate the State's special education processes, policies and procedures to align with IDEA. The transition to the new IEP system and document is a rolling process. The new IEP structures the content in a child's IEP differently and our processes have shifted to respond to these changes.

Can parents access the CT-SEDS portal?

Yes, once your child/ren's IEPs are added to the CT-SEDS platform, you can access them via CT-SEDS. Parents will automatically receive documents from the portal once they are finalized. Please see the above parent portal quick start guides. Tip: bookmark the link you receive for future access and mark the email as safe so it goes to your inbox. All translation tools are now functioning for translation of documents within the system.

Parent Portal Quick Start Guide, English

Parent Portal Quick Start Guide, Spanish

Where can I find resources to help me understand my child's IEP?

Resources can be found on the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) website. Here are some quick links to helpful documents, webinars and parent information sessions:

The New IEP Document

Side by Side Comparison of the former IEP and the new IEP

Webinar: IEP Guide for Families in English and Spanish

Ms. Melissa Caballero, Executive Director of Pupil Services

Mrs. Kelly Brouse, Assistant Director of Pupil Services.

Assistant Principals:

Aiken - Amy Schmelder

Braeburn - Diana DiFiore

Bugbee- Nichole Richmond

Charter Oak IB - Brian Olsen

Duffy - Brittney Zieller-Bliss

Morley - Tracey Rotella

Norfeldt - Danielle Ewing

Smith STEM - Liz Nascimento

Webster Hill - Kate DeJulius

Whiting Lane - Kristina Wieckowski

Wolcott - Sabrina Motyka

Department Supervisors

Lauren Dell- Out of District Private Providers

Melissa Cook - Early Learning Center

Peg Flower- King Philip Middle School & SSDS Private School

Emily Daigle- Bristow & Sedgwick Middle Schools

Maureen Mazzatto- Conard High School

Stacy Kellogg-Shove- Hall High School

Jolene Piscetello- STRIVE, Post Secondary, Private Schools

Procedural Safeguards, Spanish

Parental Notification of the Laws Relating to Restraint and Seclusion, English

Parental Notification of the Laws Relating to Restraint and Seclusion, Spanish

Parents Guide to Special Education, English

Parents Guide to Special Education, Spanish

The Pupil Services Department Supervisor Assignments and email address are listed below: