Giving Tuesday will be November 29th

No matter how small your help, It means a lot to children with disabilities in our communities.

Ways to help

Volunteer: We currently are 100% volunteer ran. Each volunteer helps make programs possible in our communities.  We have volunteers with Free To Be Me Respite, others love  helping with Sensory Santa programs, and some want to help by being volunteer Special education advocates helping families navigate special education processes. We also need volunteers that enjoy fundraising to be able to grow our programs. ( Click here to Volunteer with Community Inclusion Ambassadors inc. )

Donations: We are a 501c3 non-profit organization registered with the IRS and the state of Indiana. We are funded by the generosity of our community and local business allowing us to offer no cost programs to families caring for children with disabilities.

  

Prayer: Praying for the children in our community that face challenges of having a disability early in their lives. Pray for their families for emotional support, understanding of the challenges that come with disabilities, Inclusion in our community for the families, inclusion of the children in all areas of life from school to recreational activities.

Care: To take the time to learn about how childhood disability impacts our community.  To be an ear for a parent that needs someone to talk to about what's happening in their family's life. To understand if our schools can meet the needs of a child with a disability in our local school they can meet the needs of all students. 

Giving Tuesday will be November 29th this year.

Sensory Santa

Click Here to go to Sign-up Page      

Click Here to go to Sign-up Page      

SPED Alert 11-2-22 (mutually agreed upon date, time, and place. Reference: Indiana Article 7 511 IAC 7-42-2 & IDEA Sec. 300.322)

This letter is to help area schools and Indiana Department of Education to be aware of a developing trend that we are seeing this school year. Our goal is to make the process more welcoming to parent participation in the process. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear School Administrators

Subject:  CCC meeting being scheduled at a mutually agreed upon date, time, and place.

Reference: Indiana Article 7  511 IAC 7-42-2 & IDEA Sec. 300.322

 

Dear School Administrators

 

The ability for parents to participate in case conferences committee meetings is critical for the active involvement of families within a child's education.  Sadly we hear too many times that parents are not able to be an active member of the CCC. 

511 IAC 7-42-2 Notice of case conference committee meetings

( https://www.in.gov/doe/files/art-7-english-may-2019-update-index.pdf )

Sec. 2. (a) A CCC meeting must be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon date, time, and place. If a parent cannot attend in person, the public agency must use other methods to ensure parent participation, including an individual or conference telephone call or video conference.

(b) A CCC meeting may be conducted without a parent in attendance if the parent chooses not to participate in person or by other methods. In this case, the public agency must keep a record of its attempts to arrange a mutually agreed upon date, time, and place for the CCC meeting, such as the following:

(1) Detailed records of:

(A) telephone calls made or attempted; and

(B) the results of the calls.

(2) Copies of:

(A) correspondence sent to the parent; and

(B) any responses received.

(3) Detailed records of:

(A) visits made to the parent's home or place of employment; and

(B) the results of those visits.

IDEA Sec. 300.322 Parent participation

Statute/Regs Main » Regulations » Part B » Subpart D » Section 300.322

300.322 Parent participation.

( https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.322 )

(a) Public agency responsibility—general. Each public agency must take steps to ensure that one or both of the parents of a child with a disability are present at each IEP Team meeting or are afforded the opportunity to participate, including—

(1) Notifying parents of the meeting early enough to ensure that they will have an opportunity to attend; and

(2) Scheduling the meeting at a mutually agreed on time and place.

(b) Information provided to parents.

(1) The notice required under paragraph (a)(1) of this section must—

(i) Indicate the purpose, time, and location of the meeting and who will be in attendance; and

(ii) Inform the parents of the provisions in §300.321(a)(6) and (c) (relating to the participation of other individuals on the IEP Team who have knowledge or special expertise about the child), and §300.321(f) (relating to the participation of the Part C service coordinator or other representatives of the Part C system at the initial IEP Team meeting for a child previously served under Part C of the Act).

(2) For a child with a disability beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team, the notice also must—

(i) Indicate—

(A) That a purpose of the meeting will be the consideration of the postsecondary goals and transition services for the child, in accordance with §300.320(b); and

(B) That the agency will invite the student; and

(ii) Identify any other agency that will be invited to send a representative.

(c) Other methods to ensure parent participation. If neither parent can attend an IEP Team meeting, the public agency must use other methods to ensure parent participation, including individual or conference telephone calls, consistent with §300.328 (related to alternative means of meeting participation).

(d) Conducting an IEP Team meeting without a parent in attendance. A meeting may be conducted without a parent in attendance if the public agency is unable to convince the parents that they should attend. In this case, the public agency must keep a record of its attempts to arrange a mutually agreed on time and place, such as—

(1) Detailed records of telephone calls made or attempted and the results of those calls;

(2) Copies of correspondence sent to the parents and any responses received; and

(3) Detailed records of visits made to the parent's home or place of employment and the results of those visits.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If the parents are unable to be located please consider the need for an educational surrogate in the special education process. ( RULE 39. EDUCATIONAL SURROGATE PARENTS   Indiana Article 7 511 IAC 7-39-1)

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Sincerely

Patrick Underwood

Board President / Lead Volunteer Special Education Advocate 

Community Inclusion Ambassadors Inc

Phone: (812) 329-0216

Email: PatrickU@ourcia.org

Website: www.ourcia.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ourcia

Letter to Paoli Community Schools Superintendent and School Board- Textbook Assistance

The letter below was sent to all of the Paoli School Board Members and Superintendent on Oct 10, 2022, 8:17 PM. At the time of writing this we have not received any response form the school board members or the Superintendents office.

We are not lawyers this issue research was in response to concerns what have been brought up regarding how low in-come families are treated with in the school system. Our goal for all children is that they receive a free appropriate public education (fape).

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Paoli Community Schools Superintendent and School Board Members

A letter was sent  out to families regarding outstanding balance. It tells families that they need to pay by Oct 21st or work out a payment plan.  It goes on to tell families that if they don't the school will take them to small claims court and additional fees will be added to their balance. 

The letter below was sent to families that were eligible for assistance. 

The concerns that was brought to us was 

1. If the family is eligible for assistance then why are families having to pay a balance ? 

2. Can the school sue a family eligible for assistance ? 

 For our research we reviewed  IC 20-33-5-3, IC 20-33-5-7, IC 20-33-5-11 along with a state examiner directive 2015-5, Paoli Community school Jr/SR High student Handbook and requested Technical Assistance from Indiana Department of Education Office of School Finance. (All Listed Below)

Our Findings: 

• The school district can't force a family eligible for assistance to pay the Balance (difference between the cost of curricular materials and what the state reimbursed) the school can only request it be paid but the parent/guardian can choose not to pay the difference . ( IC 20-33-5-3, TA from IDOE, and  state examiner directive 2015-5)

• The school district can only take a family to small claims court if they are not eligible for assistance. ( IC 20-33-5-11 ) 

Requested  Voluntary Corrective Action:

1. Corrective letter / Contact with families eligible for assistance that aligns with  IC 20-33-5-3, IC 20-33-5-7, IC 20-33-5-11. (Let the  families eligible for assistance know the school can only request it be paid but the parent/guardian can choose not to pay the difference .)

2. An ethics review to occur regarding the letter. 

               

In closing 

Some of the families that have received this letter struggle to make the ends meet and try their best to make sure they have food, a safe home and clothes for their children.  Many of the families have trust with the school to do what's best for students and to be truthful with the families. Please do the right thing for the families within Paoli Community Schools.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Patrick Underwood 

Board President / Lead Volunteer Special Education Advocate

Community Inclusion Ambassadors Inc.

___________________________________Supporting documents________________________________

The letter sent to families by the school

IC 20-33-5-3

Qualified parents; payment of fees by school corporation; reimbursement

    Sec. 3. (a) If a parent of a child or an emancipated minor who is enrolled in a public school, in kindergarten or grades 1 through 12, meets the financial eligibility standard under section 2 of this chapter, the parent or the emancipated minor may not be required to pay the fees for curricular materials, supplies, or other required class fees. The fees shall be paid by the school corporation that the child attends.

    (b) The school corporation may apply for a reimbursement under section 7 of this chapter from the department of the costs incurred under subsection (a).

    (c) To the extent the reimbursement received by the school corporation is less than the rental fee assessed for curricular materials, the school corporation may request that the parent or emancipated minor pay the balance of this amount.

[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education Recodification Citation: 20-8.1-9-3.]

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.17. Amended by P.L.73-2011, SEC.19; P.L.286-2013, SEC.112.

IC 20-33-5-7

Public schools; textbook assistance; state reimbursement

    Sec. 7. (a) If a determination is made that the applicant is eligible for assistance, the school corporation shall pay the cost of the student's required fees.

    (b) A school corporation shall receive a reimbursement from the department for some or all of the costs incurred by a school corporation during a school year in providing curricular materials assistance to students who are eligible under section 2 of this chapter.

    (c) To be guaranteed some level of reimbursement from the department, the governing body of a school corporation shall request the reimbursement before November 1 of a school year.

    (d) In its request, the governing body shall certify to the department:

(1) the number of students who are enrolled in that school corporation and who are eligible for assistance under this chapter;

(2) the costs incurred by the school corporation in providing:

(A) curricular materials (including curricular materials used in special education and high ability classes) to these students;

(B) workbooks, digital content, and consumable curricular materials (including workbooks, consumable curricular materials, and other consumable instructional materials that are used in special education and high ability classes) that are used by students for not more than one (1) school year; and

(C) instead of the purchase of curricular materials, developmentally appropriate material for instruction in kindergarten through the grade 3 level, laboratories, and children's literature programs;

(3) that the curricular materials described in subdivision (2)(A) (except curricular materials used in special education classes and high ability classes) have been adopted by the governing body; and

(4) any other information required by the department.

    (e) Each school within a school corporation shall maintain complete and accurate information concerning the number of students determined to be eligible for assistance under this chapter. This information shall be provided to the department upon request.

    (f) Parents receiving other governmental assistance or aid that considers educational needs in computing the entire amount of assistance granted may not be denied assistance if the applicant's total family income does not exceed the standards established by this chapter.

    (g) The amount of reimbursement that a school corporation is entitled to receive shall be determined as provided in section 9.5 of this chapter.  

[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education Recodification Citation: 20-8.1-9-9.]

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.17. Amended by P.L.73-2011, SEC.20; P.L.229-2011, SEC.192; P.L.286-2013, SEC.113.

IC 20-33-5-11

Failure of parent to pay fees; small claims court representation

    Sec. 11. (a) A school corporation may not:

(1) withhold curricular materials and supplies;

(2) require any special services from a child; or

(3) deny the child any benefit or privilege;

because the parent fails to pay required fees.

    (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a school corporation may take any action authorized by law to collect unpaid fees from parents who are determined to be ineligible for assistance, including recovery of reasonable attorney's fees and court costs in addition to a judgment award against those parents.

    (c) A school corporation may designate a full-time employee of the school corporation to represent the school corporation in a small claims court action under subsection (b) if the claim does not exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500). The employee designated under this subsection is not required to be an attorney.

[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education Recodification Citation: 20-8.1-9-10.]

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.17. Amended by P.L.286-2013, SEC.115; P.L.251-2017, SEC.1

--

Sincerely

Patrick Underwood

Board President / Lead Volunteer Special Education Advocate 

Community Inclusion Ambassadors Inc

Phone: (812) 329-0216

Email: PatrickU@ourcia.org

Website: www.ourcia.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ourcia

Walmart Spark Good Round Up to support Community Inclusion Ambassadors Inc.

We are excited to be taking part in the Walmart Spark Good Round Up. 

You can donate spare change by automatically rounding up your orders to the nearest dollar at checkout supporting our works in the community.

To pick us for rounding up for online shopping please visit: https://www.walmart.com/nonprofits/96693672-f3cf-4d18-a2e5-07afa4f84f83/profile

Free To Be Me Respite coming in October

 

As fall comes closer we are excited to have more programs on the way to help families caring for children with disabilities / special needs.

Free To Be Me Respite will be 4 hours a month for children with disabilities to have activities to do with a Respite Buddy as the caregivers take time to rest and focus on their self care needs. Before Free To Be Me starts in October we are asking families that would be interested to fill out an input form to help us structure our respite to help as many families as we can

Parent Input Form: https://forms.gle/9vUwdfAswAeqp7kNA

As we prepare for Free To Be ME Respite we are looking for volunteers that would like to help children with disabilities to have a time that they are free to be themselves doing activities, Crafts as their parents take a few hours to rest and focus on their self care needs.

To Volunteer with Community Inclusion Ambassadors inc please visit:

https://forms.gle/p3kzJdNyWgWtTfEU8

Community Inclusion Ambassadors Inc is a 501c3 non-profit organization formed in 2020 to help make our community more inclusive for families caring for children and young adults with disabilities. We are working to continue our Sensory Friendly Activities, Special Education Advocacy and to start providing monthly Respite events in October. This is not possible without the support of our community, area churches and local business.

If you have any questions or would like to help support our works to help families caring for children with disabilities please visit our website at: https://www.ourcia.org/p/donations.html

Special Education Starts with Child Find

 U.S Federal Regulations: 

IDEA Sec. 300.111 Child find

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/b/300.111

The State must have in effect policies and procedures to ensure that—

(i) All children with disabilities residing in the State, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the State, and children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and evaluated; and

(ii) A practical method is developed and implemented to determine which children are currently receiving needed special education and related services.

Indiana Special Education Rules:

Article 7  511 IAC 7-40-1 Child Find

https://www.in.gov/doe/files/art-7-english-may-2019-update-index.pdf#page=56

Sec. 1. (a) The public agency shall establish, maintain, and implement written procedures that ensure the location, identification, and evaluation of all students three (3) years of age, but less than twenty-two (22) years of age, who are in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, including students who: 

(1) have legal settlement within the jurisdiction of the public agency; 

(2) attend a nonpublic school, are served by an agency, or live in an institution located within the jurisdiction of the public agency; 

(3) are homeless students as defined at 511 IAC 7-32-46; (4) are wards of the state; 

(5) are highly mobile students, including migrant students; and 

(6) are suspected of being student

We need family input about monthly respite events.

Hello Families 

We are working to start monthly respite events. Free To Be Me Respite events will be for 4 hours once a month and have Art & Crafts, Musical, Recreational and Bible study activities for the children with disabilities to take part in with a volunteer buddy. As the children are at the respite events parents can have the time to rest and focus on their self care needs.

We are in the last step of approval with a church in Orange county indiana that has a handicap accessible youth center ( As soon as we have approval we will send out the church name) . We will have access to children's classrooms, a nursery and Student center ( a large room we can use for games, and larger group activities)   This will be a Pilot program and will be reviewed at 3 months to discuss continuing the respite events long term. 

What we need help with

Parent input for planning- We need families that would be interested in taking part in a monthly respite event to fill out a short google form it lets us know what times would work best for families, how you would feel about your child taking part in a 30 min childs bible study at the respite event, if you would like to take part in a parent bible study, if a sibling group would be helpful for your family, how you feel about the proposed logo ( You will see some post with Free To Be Me Respite for now but its subject to change based off parent input), and a option to share your contact info so we can share updates about respite and let you know when respite sign-up starts. 

Click Here to fill out the parent input for respite events form 

 Volunteers- Do you know of someone that has a heart for helping children with disabilities / special needs?  We would love to have their help in making respite available to families. We are asking all potential volunteers to fill sign-up using VolunteerMatch  All volunteers will have to have a current background check on file as part of our child safety system. Please share this link with anyone that you feel would be a good match for helping build our respite team. https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp3575249.jsp?fbclid=IwAR0q4_mJRjvQRFSWwNw9Fh8fDgXLk6ybfG_5sXRXC4MF_tnAqJTdUkpOGa0#.Yvbuluwuun4.facebook

Community Partners- The church will be opening their doors but our Non-profit will be responsible with funding the respite program itself.  If you know of any area business that may become a community partner in helping make respite events available in our area please let us know. We would love to talk with them as we work together to bring more resources and support to our area for families caring for a child with a disability.  

The proposed logo and name for the respite program 

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Sincerely

Patrick Underwood

Board President / Lead Volunteer Special Education Advocate 

Community Inclusion Ambassadors Inc

Phone: (812) 329-0216

Email: PatrickU@ourcia.org

Website: www.ourcia.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stand.with.CIA