Agenda

Date: 
Monday, October 16, 2023 - 5:00pm

Commission for Accessibility
Meeting Agenda
Monday, October 16, 2023  5:00PM

Via Zoom  (access information below). 

Should someone need a special accommodation in order to participate in this meeting please contact Karen Gaudian at 203 807-4524.

Policy:  Commission for Accessibility meetings will be conducted under Roberts Rules of Order and all participants are expected to conduct themselves with dignity and treat all those present with respect, empathy and civility.

Town of Ridgefield Guidelines Booklet

Commission for Accessibility Chairman, Don Ciota, is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting hosted by Tony Philips, Town ADA Coordinator.
Topic: Ridgefield Commission for Accessibility
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
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Meeting ID: 898 4974 6946
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AGENDA

5:00 PM. Call to Order

Public Comment

Town of Ridgefield Guidelines Booklet

A Milestone for Civil Rights: Celebrating 45 Years of IDEA. (1975-2020)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services. In the law, Congress states: Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society. Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.

Who monitors compliance with the IDEA? "The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is responsible for ensuring states' compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA guarantees the free appropriate public education (FAPE) of children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

The Connecticut State Board of Education believes that all students, including students with exceptionalities, are unique and influenced by cultural, linguistic, intellectual, psychological, health and economic factors. (Excerpt from the State Board of Education's Position Statement on the Education of Students with Exceptionalities)

To Contact the Bureau of Special Education

BSE Photo Staff Directory

Connecticut State Department of Education
Bureau of Special Education
P.O. Box 2219
Hartford, CT 06145-2219
(860) 713-6910, Fax (860) 713-7051

Bryan Klimkiewicz, Special Education Division Director

Bryan Klimkiewicz

Special Education Division Director

860-713-6910

[email protected]

Tom Boudreau

860-713-6919

[email protected]

• IDEA Part B Grant Manager
• Assistive Technology (AT)
• Accessible Ed. Material (AEM) • Complaint Investigations

Alycia Trakas 860-713-6932 [email protected]

• Secondary Transition
• Dyslexia
• SSIP
• General Monitoring and

Supervision

Jolie Medina 860-713-6571 [email protected]

• Special Education Support Staff

Mary Jean Schierberl 860-713-6943 [email protected]

• Due Process
• Hearings
• Mediation
• Complaint Investigations

Andrea Brinnel 860-713-6941 [email protected]

  • Early Childhood Special

Education (619 Coordinator)

  • Special Education School Choice (Charter/Magnet)
  • FAPE by 3, LRE 3-5, ECO

Regina Gaunichaux 860-713-6937 [email protected]

• Special Education Support Staff

Georgette Nemr 860-713-6716 [email protected]

  • Surrogate Parent Program
  • Special Education Leadership
  • IEP Quality Training
  • CT-SEDS Pilot

Michael Tavernier 860-713-6929 [email protected]

• SPP/APR
• General Monitoring &

Supervision • CT-SEDS

• IEP Initiatives

Jay Brown 860-713-6918 [email protected]
• Communications
• Related Services / COPs • Complaint Investigations • PPTLI

Natalie Jones 860-713-6933 [email protected]

• CT-SEDS
• Mediation
• Complaint Investigations • General Monitoring and

Supervision

Dori Papa 860-713-6923 [email protected]

  • Approved Private Programs
  • Gifted & Talented
  • Paraeducators
  • Autism

Viviana Toure 860-713-6924 [email protected]

  • General Monitoring and Supervision
  • Disproportionality
  • SSIP
  • Evaluation Timelines

Sean Cronin 860-713-6938 [email protected]
• Parental Involvement
• Complaint Investigations • State Advisory Council • Restraint and Seclusion

Mildred Pagán 860-713-6917 [email protected]

• Assis

  

 

The Contrast of Gifted & Talented Programs in CT with the Mandates of the Idea Act: The State of Connecticut requires that each board of education provide referral, identification and evaluation services only for gifted and talented children enrolled in grades kindergarten to twelve. The referral may come from any source including the teacher, administrator, parent, guardian, or child.

Under current regulations, public school districts in Connecticut are required to identify gifted and talented students, K-12. The process for identifying these students is decided upon by school district personnel. School districts are NOT mandated to provide services to students

Please compare the paragraph above with the following:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.