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Special Education Alert #2
Text of letter
from: Department of special education
to: parents/guardians

Dear Parents/Guardian        August 30, 2002

Welcome to the 2002-2003 school year. The new year brings an important change in special education. We will be restructuring the Special Education Parent Advisory Council, SEAC.  The Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning, CFL, in its soon to be released monitoring report of the Special Education Department in the Minneapolis
Public Schools, MPS, is strongly recommending that the SEAC be restructured, in order to provide wider access to parents and greater structure to the advisory process.

The new Parent Advisory Council, in accordance with MN Statute 125A.24, will provide input to the special education administration on special education programs and procedures in MPS. A selection committee will review the parent applications to SEAC and recommend parent council members who are representatvie of the various disabilities, ages, and ethnic backgrounds of the special education students in the Minneapolis Public Schools. Parents will representmore than half of the total membership of the Advisory Council.

At the first SEAC meeting this year, a draft of the SEAC Advisory Council by-laws will be presented to the Parent Advisory Council for input and approval. The by-laws will include the purpose of the SEAC, membership, voting, term limits, ground rules for selecting and discussing agendas, dealing with conflict, input from the public, etc.

Enclosed with this letter is an application for parent members of the new Council. You may nominate yourself or another parent by using the enclosed form.  I anticipate that the application process and final selection of council members will be completed by October 15, 2002.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Cy Thompson, Parent Advocate at 668-5437. Best wishes for a successful 2002-03 school year.

Colleen Baumtrog, PhD
Executive Director Special Education
Minneapolis Public Schools

CC  Carol Johnson Superintendent
        Cheryl Creecy, Deputy Superintendent
        Tom Lombard, MNDCFL
         Mpls Board of Education