Week 1 – March 7th, 2023 Theme: Discipline Discussions: The Impact and Harm of Exclusionary Discipline
Valarie Williams, Director of the Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education has written a blog series on discipline and behavior. The first installment of her blog is entitled, Discipline Discussions: The Impact and Harm of Exclusionary Discipline. In this blog, you will find statistics, guidance and resources related to exclusionary discipline.
Week 2 – March 14th, 2023 Theme: Discipline Discussions: Our Discipline Policies Reflect Our Priorities
The second blog post by Valarie Williams, OSEP Director, is entitled, Discipline Discussions: Our Discipline Policies Reflect Our Priorities. In this blog, Ms. Williams outlines statistics, resources, and a Q&A related to disciplinary removals for children with disabilities.
Week 3 – March 21st, 2023 Theme: Discipline Discussions: Informal Removals Matter
The third blog post, Discipline Discussions: Informal Removals Matter, by OSEP Director Valarie Williams discloses her personal connection as a parent of a child with Down Syndrome. As a topic we hear often in our support of families, Ms. Williams identifies anecdotal stories, resources and a Q&A with the CPIR related to informal removals.
Week 4 – March 28th, 2023 Theme: Glossary of Key Terms and Acronyms
For definitions of key terms related to discipline, please refer to the glossary of key terms located within the OSEP document entitled, Questions and Answers: Addressing the Needs of Children with Disabilities and IDEA’s Discipline Provisions. As Valarie Williams discussed in her blog, the importance of defining informal removals is that informal removals “are subject to IDEA’s requirements to the same extent as disciplinary removals.”