This registration form is for Wednesday, June 5, 10:00 a.m.–Noon ET
This program is also available on:
Thursday, July 25, 10:00 a.m.–Noon ET
Tuesday, August 13, 10:00 a.m.–Noon ET
| MCLE Credit: | 2.0 |
| Live-Interactive Credit: | 2.0 (all dates, all formats) |
This workshop is designed for attorneys representing school districts or parents and students in the special education process. Participants will:
Many parents and students experience the IEP process as daunting and even traumatizing. Compounding this is the fact that many have experienced traumatic events in their lives, both inside and outside of school. When communication is unclear, students’ strengths and challenges are viewed in narrow ways, or sensitive information about families is shared carelessly, parents and students can lose a sense of trust with school district staff. Sometimes substantive disagreement results from or can be exacerbated by a lack of trust and a feeling of being dehumanized by the process. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
This workshop will help practitioners learn how an understanding of trauma-sensitivity can improve the IEP process for parents, students, and school district staff. It will look at each part of the IEP process through the “trauma lens” and will show how a deep understanding of trauma can: (1) serve as a powerful motivator for school district staff to employ best practices; (2) help team members see students’ needs holistically and focus on the importance of safety and connection at school; and (3) help both students and caregivers feel welcomed, safe, and respected in the process.
Zoom Requirements: You must have an Internet connection and the ability to use Zoom for this program. Please click here to see Zoom system requirements.
The day before the seminar, you will be sent an email with more details on accessing the program and receiving program materials.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $40 if you cancel or transfer your registration to a different seminar after the link to the materials has been e-mailed by Virginia CLE®.
Full refunds or transfers are available up to two days after a webcast in the unlikely event that you experience technical difficulties.
Inclement Weather Policy and Updates.
MCLE Credit Caveat: The MCLE Board measures credits by the time you spend in attendance. If you enter a seminar late or leave it early, or both, you must reflect those adjustments accurately in the credits you report on your credit reporting form. A code will be given at the end of the seminar, which must be written on your MCLE form.
Can’t Attend?
E-mail distance_ed@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program is made available as an online or USB seminar.
E-mail publications@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program’s seminar materials are made available for sale.
10:00 | Trauma-Sensitivity and the Individual Education Program (IEP) Process |
12:00 | Adjourn |
Michael Gregory, Harvard Law School and Harvard Graduate School of Education / Cambridge, MA
Michael Gregory is Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS) and a Member of the Faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He teaches and practices law as part of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI), where he is Managing Attorney.
TLPI is a partnership between HLS and Massachusetts Advocates for Children, a statewide non-profit child advocacy organization in Boston. TLPI’s mission is to ensure that all children, including those traumatized by exposure to violence and other childhood adversities, succeed in school.
As a result of TLPI’s advocacy, Massachusetts enacted the Safe and Supportive Schools Framework statute in 2014, a first-of-its-kind law that creates a statewide community of practice to support schools and districts to create safe and supportive whole-school learning environments that serve as a foundation for all students to succeed.
He holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University. He and his husband are proud parents of a five-year-old daughter who loves dancing to Kidz Bop videos and eating chocolate ice cream.
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