|
|
MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) to Review Arlington Public Schools’ Special Education in Key Areas
|
|
During the week of November 3, 2025, Arlington Public Schools will be undergoing a routine 3-year monitoring review that focuses on special education student identification and special education eligibility timelines; Individualized Education Program (IEP) development; programming and support services; procedural requirements for suspensions and equal opportunity. Read the public notice here.
|
|
***TIME SENSITIVE***
|
|
DESE is seeking input from parents and caregivers with children on IEP’s. Please note that DESE dictates the survey recipient pool, not the Arlington Public Schools (APS).
|
|
DESE sent their email with a survey link to families on Monday, October 20th. The email “FROM:” is “Department of Elementary and Secondary Education” and should look something like the image below. APS wants to assure you that this survey request is legitimate. If you have concerns regarding the legitimacy of the DESE email, please feel free to contact the APS Office of Student Services at (781) 316-3533.
|
|
Please respond to the survey by Friday, Nov. 7th at 5pm.
|
|
If you did not receive this email, please check your spam folder or Gmail-based tabs. If you still don’t see it, please contact Dee Wyatt at DESE: Dee.Wyatt@mass.gov.
|
|
For parents and caregivers who have students who are not on IEPs but would like to provide APS with feedback directly, please feel free to submit anonymous feedback here. Submissions go directly to the board members of SEPAC and are shared thematically with APS leadership as trends surface (we share trends, not specifics, to ensure we retain anonymity of respondents).
|
 |
|
Email from DESE with parent survey link inside
|
|
|
|
SEPAC to Present Annual Survey Findings to the School Committee on Thursday, October 23rd
|
|
SEPAC President, Elizabeth McWhorter, will be sharing findings from the 2025 SEPAC Survey, which provides insights into parent/caregiver experiences with Special Education in the Arlington Public Schools.
|
|
Arlington Public Schools District Office
14 Mill Brook Drive, School Committee Room, 2nd Floor
ARLINGTON, Massachusetts 02476
|
|
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86956181807
|
|
|
Sharing your feedback is not just a once a year event!
|
|
The SEPAC “Start-Stop-Keep” survey is always open! It provides all members of the community the opportunity to share anonymous feedback to APS in the spirit of improvement. It can be found here:
|
|
https://forms.gle/GnvB1HzcoqsqTmzJ9
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Concerned about how the federal layoffs impact Special Education? Take action!
|
|
Check out this newsletter from MASFEC (Massachusetts Family Engagement Center). It highlights what parents can do.
|
|
|
Programs and services in and around the community
|
|
NOTE: SEPAC is sharing this information as a courtesy. An endorsement should not be inferred. Have a program or service to share? Please fill out this form, and we’ll get it in an upcoming newsletter.
|
-
Workshop on Parental Rights Under IDEA: Hosted by Wayside Youth and Family Support Network. Learn what your rights are under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and about the process of working with your child’s school/district. Learn more
-
[WEBINAR] Mental Health Essentials for Parents and Caregivers - Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium (MASMHC) is offering the following webinar for caregivers supporting their children’s mental health. Learn more
-
The Ely Center, a neurodiversity-affirming speech therapy & mental health practice based in Needham has immediate daytime openings for individual counseling, parent coaching to support families navigating stress, transitions, or behavioral needs; and Executive function and school-based/IEP-related support + assessments. Questions? Contact Max Martins at 617-610-6407 or max@elycenter.com
-
Autism Family Friendly Dinner Party! All ages and behaviors are welcome. Reservations are required at www.AutismEats.org. Questions? Lenard Zohn, Autism Eats, 617-680-0593. Learn more
-
FREE, Sensory Friendly Halloween concert hosted by the New England Film Orchestra on October 24th, at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St!. They will have on hand fidgets, a quiet room, muted light show, rice and beans area, squishies, alternate seating, modified instrumentation and volume levels, and encourage students to attend the concert as they are comfortable (maybe that’s in a bean bag, in a rocking chair, or walking around). Facebook link to the concert. Get free tickets.
|
|
|
|
