The 2021 SEPAC survey gathered feedback from 122 respondents regarding special education services, highlighting areas of satisfaction and concerns related to communication, service delivery, and support for students with disabilities. Key findings include that 58% of respondents agreed their children's social and emotional needs were addressed, while 60% felt inclusion was a priority, though many noted communication gaps and the need for clarity around service eligibility and delivery. Recommendations include improving communication practices and providing additional professional development to staff to better support students with diverse needs.

1. SEPAC SURVEY
FEEDBACK
SEPAC and HPS
Survey completed Spring 2021

2. This brief summary will:
Present questions from the survey that
generated the highest percentage of
common or similar feedback
Present the original SEPAC Question
and the prevailing or most prominent
type of responses from respondents
In cases where it occurs, multiple
responses may be presented to show
the range of feedback
For each question presented, the
District response/feedback will reflect
the work done, being done, or is
planned for the future
SEPAC recommendations will be
shared
This response will also include
reflection on identified areas of growth
for future planning when applicable to
the question

3. Survey Respondents:
122 total responses were collected for the
survey
63 were included in the results due to having
selected the option “Has an IEP” or “Seeking
Special Education services.”
We have not done analysis on the data
regarding differences between HES and TBS;
this is a goal for future surveys

4. Question 2
● 58% of respondents agreed
● evaluations were prompt
● the process was easy
● communication was open and
● the district was helpful.
● The 26% “disagree” open responses mentioned
● frustration over “waiting for a child to fail” approach
of eligibility
● Timeline adherence
● More accessible online information
● More documentation from staff if they initiated
making the referral
● Child’s condition was minimized

5. Question 2
● HPS provides numerous supports and interventions for students who may need targeted or
short-term intervention, including Social/Emotional groups and classes, Intervention services to
target speech, OT, and academic needs
● HPS has counseling services and supports for all students at both schools
● Both schools implement DCAP strategies, considered “best practices” that are available to all
students without needing to have a formal plan
● Both schools have a referral process/team that reviews teacher concerns in conjunction with
parent reports and other feedback
● Both schools have a process for identifying students who may be eligible for accommodations
through Section 504
These interventions and supports are not tied to Special Education, though information or progress
monitoring in these areas may lead to a referral for Special Education evaluation

6. SEPAC
● Provide the IEP eligibility timeline infographic in the consent to
evaluate initial packet
● Direct parents to the SEPAC website and contact information for
more support
● Use reflective listening techniques and validation to build trust
and rapport

7. Question 3: Are you satisfied with the communication between your
child’s special education team, general education providers, and your
family?
Response:
Majority of respondents were
satisfied or highly satisfied
with the communication:
66.67%
Greatest feedback from
families that were less
satisfied with communication
was to focus on improvement
between general education
teachers and both the special
educators and the families
Looking forward to showcasing the FAQ section that
SEPAC agreed to create for families to include on our
new website: “What to expect” and “Things to Consider”
when preparing for meeting with special and general
education teachers and attending Team meetings.
Work in the schools will continue to emphasize
“empathic listening” as important to the success of two-
way communication
Administration will continue to work with building based
and out of district coordinators to model and promote
effective communication and conversation between all
members of a student’s education Team.

8. SEPAC
● Improvements needed in communication
between SpEd providers and Gen Ed providers.
● Some reported challenges communicating with
specific staff, sensing hostility, and feeling “all
alone”
● Continue open and frequent email
communications
● CC gen ed teachers and SpEd liaisons to
prevent communication breakdowns
● More direction toward upcoming meetings, i.e.
1 month & 2 week reminders for annual IEP
meeting w/ bullet points re- what will be
discussed.
● Digital notebooks accessible by SpEd, gen ed
staff & families
● Empathy, reflective listening techniques
● Friendly & communicative teams, easy to
reach, improvements over previous years,
increased emailing / zoom has been
helpful

9. Question 4: Do you feel the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of your
child have been appropriately addressed and responded to by your child’s
Team?
Response:
58% of responses agree or strongly
agree that the District has addressed
the needs of their student in this
area.
20% of responses indicated some
type of disagreement, referencing
some confusion/misunderstanding
of the potential impact of
social/emotional/behavioral needs
on accessing or participating in the
presented curriculum.
The COVID pandemic has impacted a significant number
of students and their families. HPS special education
staff have conducted significantly higher numbers of
assessments and screenings to address possible
impacts of “long COVID,” and the Summer 2021
programs provided additional supports to a greater
number of students to support progress and address any
compensatory needs resulting from time spent outside
of an in-person instructional environment.
Pupil Services Director is developing a new webpage to
expand information across multiple topics and concerns,
with a roll-out planned for January, 2022.
Professional development opportunities for all staff at
HPS include topics relevant to the social, emotional, and
behavioral needs of all students in the classroom.

10. SEPAC
● Opportunity for parent education
through workshops on S/E/B needs
of children in context of education
● Prompt parents throughout the year
to ask if their child needs time with
the school counselor or
psychologist
● Opportunity for PD with staff on
how various disabilities affect
S/E/B needs in children and what
interventions are helpful
● Call a meeting quickly with
guardian, staff, and counselor once
alerted to an issue to create a plan

11. Question 5: How much have you utilized outside providers…?
Response:
Approximately 43% of respondents
indicated accessing outside
services at least once per week.
Approximately 37% of respondents
reported that this question was not
applicable to their student or
situation.
In narrative responses, the most
frequent concerns were reading and
writing programs, and the
intervention supports for students
who struggle in these areas, and
that some families seek outside
support specifically in this area.
Home-based services are not indicated for all students with education
needs, and that there are specific disabilities that would qualify a student
for additional at-home services for non-school related support
HPS is accessing one-time grant funds to provide targeted PD in literacy
and reading support across the district, HOWEVER
HPS has an established assessment process in the elementary school for
identifying students with literacy concerns, with regular benchmark
assessment and review of student progress. PSD will provide information
on the new website and present a parent forum in the spring
PSD will work with special ed coordinators and staff in each building to
write a “who does what” of related services in the school, by job type
and/or title to help parents better know the role of this work in the school
setting
PSD will provide update at a future SEPAC meeting on district wide
special educator PD on dyslexia and reading supports

12. SEPAC
● Almost half of respondents seek
additional therapeutic support for their
children after school or on the weekend; a
few would do this regardless of what the
district provides
● There is a perceived deficit around the
district’s available reading support and
methods for teaching writing, particularly
for dyslexia.
● An examination of the school curriculum
and inclusiveness of the adopted
methods would be beneficial
● Seek feedback from parents on how they
perceive their student‘s success in
accessing the curriculum

13. Question 6: I believe the school professionals providing specialized instruction
and/or related services are knowledgeable regarding my child’s disability
● HPS provides multiple opportunities for special educators and general education teachers to
share information and update practitioners on the needs of students
● Special Education Teams consistently include content or grade level general education teachers
and all related service providers
● HPS special education teachers will participate in a multi-session professional development
program covering dyslexia and related disabilities. This will include opportunities for the
educators to become facilitators of training with content teachers after completing this work
● PSD continues to work with building administration to further the work between schools in
transition planning between grades 5 and 6
● HPS is open to additional sources and resources for professional development for all staff

14. SEPAC
● Parents requested more PD
for staff around eating
therapy and dyslexia
● Several respondents felt the
Gen Ed teacher did not
understand disability or IEP
● Some reported thorough
evaluations, knowledgeable
staff, and in-tune providers
● Clear communication and
regular check ins between
SpEd staff and teachers to
ensure adherence to IEP and
evaluate progress
● Teachers without knowledge
of a child’s disability should
be provided additional
training opportunities

15. Question 7: The special education/support services…are scheduled so that my child sdoes
not miss important academic time in the general education classes to the maximum extent
possible.
Response:
66% of respondents agree or strongly
agree that student schedules reflect
this type of planning
A few responses indicated that some
schedules include multiple back-to-
back services that may be indicative
of scheduling around staff availability
Some responses included a question
about whether or not services are
scheduled during “specials,” and
would like this to be avoided
HPS administration has made a consistent effort to avoid
the scheduling of services such as PT, OT, and SLP
therapies during “specials” (such as physical education,
music, and art courses) to the greatest extent possible.
Skills courses at the MS/HS level are part of the
scheduling process to avoid conflict with other offerings
Service times are based on multiple factors: student
needs, level of need, availability of provider, and time of
day when delivered.Services must be provided during the
school day.
Parents and providers are part of the Team process, and
have input during IEP meetings.

16. SEPAC ● Parents felt staff was flexible in
scheduling and/or the staff worked
hard to find appropriate times for
services
● Would prefer services be offered at
times other than when specials are
offered and/or outside of school hours.
One parent noted that back-to-back
PT sessions and having more than
one SLP session on the same day
have occurred in order to
accommodate the therapist’s
schedule.
● The district should have open
communication and seek the approval
of parents, to the extent that it is
possible, as to when SPED services
or supportive services are provided to
students. Therapists should schedule
with the child to best support their
needs. The general feedback was
positive for this survey question so no
additional recommendations are
indicated.

17. Question 8: I am satisfied with with frequency and duration of services that
my child receives.
Response:
Overall, 60% of respondents agreed or
strongly agreed.
Roughly 17% of respondents disagreed,
while 13% indicated that this question
was not applicable to their student or
situation.
Feedback ranged from families reporting
that their student was making “good
progress” with the supports that were
provided, to reporting that supports are
what is the “minimum to meet (the
student’s) needs.”
The COVID pandemic interfered with the model for
collaboration, HPS will be revisiting
implementation and/or expansion of practices
across both buildings in the district.
School services are based on the extent of need in
order to make effective progress and access to
curriculum. This is discussed by the providers with
families during a Team meeting.
Service delivery explanations is an area where the
district can build more understanding for and with
families, and include a “role” description for the
providers for each service type. This will be
included in the update department page of the
district website.

18. SEPAC
● Several parents reported feeling
good about current supports, while
others reported they only offered the
minimum to meet their needs
● Provide clear communication about
how and why frequency and duration
of services is determined
● Of respondents who were
dissatisfied with progress the child is
making given frequency and duration
of services, a co-teaching model
could be utilized to give more access
to specialized teaching methods.
● For example, having a behavioral
support specialist able to float
between classrooms with children ID
for S/E/D needs and assist teacher

19. Question 9: ESY (Extended School Year)
HPS provides ESY services during the months of
July and August, as an extension of supports for
students who would otherwise experience a
significant regression in their progress toward
goals.
ESY services include supports for related
services and academics (when a student is
identified with an specific learning disability).
The IEP Team addresses ESY on a student-by-
student basis, as not all students qualify for
summer programming (not experience
significant regression)
HPS has recognized that more information is
needed for families about the purpose and eligibility
factors that relate to ESY
● The special education leaders are finalizing a
ESY review document that will be used to
identify if and when services would be
provided, and will share with parents at the
initial conversation regarding ESY (for initial
student consideration) or when considering
discharge from this service
● ESY schedules will be produced earlier, and a
commitment to attend requested from parents
no later than June 1st of each year.

20. SEPAC
● The majority of respondents did not
understand how or if their student
qualified for ESY
● Communication regarding when, where,
and how services would be provided
was not clear
● Increased transparency
● Information provided with sufficient
time for families to decide if they can
commit to full participation
● Throughout the year, parents should be
reminded about ESY on the IEP and how
eligibility is determined
● Discuss possibility of utilizing out of
district summer services if there is a
low-incidence service needed

21. Question 10: I feel like inclusion is a priority for the HPS
District
Response:
Overall, 60% of respondents
agree or strongly agree with this
statement.
Roughly 15% of respondents
disagree to some extent; while
23% indicated some level of
both agreement and
disagreement.
Some respondents indicated
need for greater understanding
about the acceptance of
students with special needs in
the general education setting.
HPS educators and administrators are both continually reflective
practitioners and seeking continuous improvement for now and the future.
HPS has a history and a commitment to continued growth in the areas of
inclusion practices, supporting all learners, and program evaluation with
student outcomes in mind, and points to the following accomplishments
as opportunities to continue the work of support all students:
● Collaboration between HPS and Parks and Recreation and the
support of an administrative position to increase programming
● DCAP plans at both buildings that outline universal supports for all
students
● Intervention supports that allow for early skill remediation without
need to access special education first
● Implementation of a specialized classroom at HES to promote
inclusion opportunities for students with more significant needs
● DEI teams/initiatives include student voices, including students with
special education needs

22. SEPAC ● Positive responses reflected
satisfaction with how their child is
included in the gen ed classroom
● Disagreeing parents reported gen ed
teachers or administrators were less
receptive to having students with
special needs in the gen ed setting.
● Adaptive sports are starting to be
offered
● As much as 15-20% of the general
population show some of the
indicators of dyslexia. (International
Dyslexia Association) Our student
population being no different- a
reading program more inclusive of
these people would benefit everyone.

23. TAKE AWAYS and NEXT STEPS
Other areas where SEPAC and the District can
deepen conversation and seek feedback
included:
Summer Services, including the purpose and
the determination of eligibility can be better
outlined for families, and process for families
to communicate their commitment to
participation in programming before the end of
the school year.
Role of Providers and Purpose of Services will
be provided to families about what services
“are,” and “how” services are determined to
support the Team process
How SEPAC, HPS, and families can continue to
build on the work being done with students:
PSD recommends incorporating presentations on
topics that address areas of interest or concern
identified by families in the recent survey,
perhaps taking a portion of the monthly SEPAC
meeting or offering a forum presentation every
few months in the school year.
The District will continue its plans to enhance the
information and communication opportunities.
SEPAC recommended that a future survey of
families, later in the school year, may be able to
gain insight to the success of the District’s work.