School Board Candidates Respond to SEPTA Questionnaire

To select two candidates for Arlington School Board who will receive the Democratic endorsement in 2024, Arlington Dems is conducting a vote by Caucus from May 5^th to May 11^th; online voting via ElectionBuddy is from April 20^th to May 11^th.  For more information contact VADEMS Arlington. 

Please note that Arlington SEPTA is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse specific candidates.  There are two seats opening on the Arlington County School Board as Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy are not seeking re-election.  Four candidates are eligible for the Democratic Caucus:

• Kathleen Clark
• Larry Fishtahler
• Chen Ling
• Zuraya Tapia-Hadley

Q1. Describe your experience working with or on behalf of children with disabilities. How will this experience impact your work on the School Board? 

Q2. What do you believe to be the most significant issues or challenges within APS relating to students with disabilities? 

Q3. What steps should APS take to improve the identification, education, and overall experience of students with disabilities in APS? 

Q4. What are two concrete ways that APS can improve inclusion of students with disabilities and implement universal design for learning? 

Q5. What is your knowledge of and opinion of the accessibility issues in APS facilities and how would you remedy this?

Q6. How familiar are you with APS’ 2019 Program Evaluation for Students with Disabilities and Those Receiving Interventions? How will you ensure that the recommendations made in this evaluation are implemented?

Q7. What strategies should APS use to hire and retain sufficient high-quality and diverse Special Education teachers?

Q8: How should APS ensure General Education teachers are adequately prepared to instruct and meet the needs of students with disabilities? 

Q9. What strategies should APS use to hire and retain sufficient high-quality and diverse related service providers (which include but are not limited to Audiologists, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Specialists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Teachers of the Visually Impaired, ASL & Cue Interpreters, and Behavior Specialists)? 

Q10. How will you engage with the special education community and/or SEPTA if you are elected? 

School Board Candidate Questionnaire Responses by Question

Q1. Describe your experience working with or on behalf of children with disabilities. How will this experience impact your work on the School Board? 

CLARK– For the last 6 years, I have been actively involved with the Special Education PTA [SEPTA] in a variety of roles, including President of SEPTA during COVID. My focus has been and as a School Board member will continue to be on: 

• meeting our students where they are, 

• presuming competence in our students and providing ALL students access to educational opportunities, 

• prioritizing inclusive classrooms and culture in our schools. 

On a personal note, I have 3 children, two of whom are on the Autism Spectrum with learning disabilities. I have been volunteering in classrooms since my oldest was 2 years-old in one of APS’s Early Childhood Intervention Programs. 

FISHTAHLER – Parent: My daughter, my wife, Elva Verastegui (a Yorktown teacher), and I went through the identification process, and the development and annual review of an IEP for her during grades 3, 4, and 5. Essentially the issue was developmental delay in reading – during most of her early years her first language was Spanish. She received additional instructional support via “pull-out” sessions with a language arts teacher brought in to help her and several other students with similar needs. This was successful; when she reached middle school a re-evaluation found that she no longer needed additional support to be successful. The only negative result – she, now a grown adult (graduate of W&M, employed as an ecologist by NPS), still remembers not liking being “pulled-out.”

• Teacher:
  • Having Special Education course work at GMU beyond my certification as a secondary teacher (math) I was granted a Provisional Special Education License (VA), and spent a year as a special education teacher at Edison High School (Fairfax). During that year I taught self-contained, and co-taught Math classes, monitored my case carrier set of students, and wrote and conducted IEP yearly reviews. This included a very interesting case in which a student had been placed in a self-contained Algebra 2 class inappropriately – this student’s study of math was actually exceptionally good. His “disability” was with his performance in reading. He moved to an intensified math class and succeeded there. Before COVID I taught several co-taught special ed math classes. Since COVID I have taught the following:
    • The first Quarter 2022-23 “co-taught” Earth Science at W-L (quotes because I was the content area lead teacher, but the “assigned” special ed co-teacher never showed up – that teacher was out on medical leave. This is my prime example of the difference between “what is on the books” – representations visible in the central administration’s reporting – and what actually shows up in the classroom). This assignment also included teaching Physics for EL students The second Semester AY 2022-23 at Wakefield teaching Earth Science self-contained and a support with one co-taught class. I came in at the request of a fully licensed (special ed & Science) veteran teacher who, exhausted by post-COVID workload and stress retired at the end of the first semester. This was a very challenging assignment, in part because this course is the other course in which students can earn the science “verified credit” they need for a standard diploma. It is also important for certain reporting requirements for the school – the results were regarded as generally successful. For me personally it was joyful to see how happy students (and parents) were with their success. But it was only possible through the amazing help and support from my colleagues in the Science and Special Ed departments. (There are other aspects to this story I can relate given further interest by SEPTA, including my problem with the Science Monitoring Report to the School Board on February 22.)
    • The first semester AY 2023-24 at Wakefield (long-term sub 10/2/23 – 2/2/24) teaching Physics and Principles of Physics (co-taught). My three Physics classes included a number of students with IEP or 504 accommodations; the challenge was to provide the supports they needed in a class of 30 students. The special ed co-teacher in the Principles class is phenomenal’
    • During the fall semester at GMU I participated in EDSE 540, Characteristics of Students with Disabilities Who Access the General Curriculum, in order to relate my experience in the second Semester AC 2022-23 to the academic understanding of my students. 
    • In my graduate math studies, I was not among the “smartest” – the first to come up with an answer. On one occasion my answer to a problem was correct but “unusual.” My teacher added “I like the way your mind works.” That had a startling impact on me. Now, on every appropriate occasion, and with all my students I say to them: “I like the way you are thinking about this.” We can all benefit by saying things like this to each other. 
• Advocate: I have experience in advocating for students needs beginning with my advocacy for LULAC Council #4606 (Education focus) especially related to academic achievement, EL services, equitable access (see https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-4th-circuit/1161132.html). During my time as co-Chair of the ACI (now “ACTL”) and President of the CCPTAs I exerted special efforts to include the voice and participation of those advocating for an equitable share of APS resources.

LING– I recognize the breadth of differences between people – mental, physical, and emotional. I also recognize that even with a single label, there is diverse range of differences that require customized and evolving approaches. As a school board member, I will prioritize equity for students so that each student receives support that is appropriate to their unique needs. Several members of my family are special education teachers, and I recognize the wide range of needs that such teachers must address. 

I know this is an area where I still have a lot to learn. To address that, I’ve been talking with parents of children with disabilities to understand their and their children’s experiences with APS.  From those conversations, I know that APS has a lot of opportunities for improvement when it comes to special education. I will continue speaking with parents, teachers, and where possible students, so I have enough background to understand the challenges faced as well as effective ways to address them.

TAPIA-HADLEY– My first experience with Special Education in school was as a child with a friend who was deaf. In our class, we had an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter working alongside the core teacher signing the lessons. The letters of the alphabet displayed along the classroom wall also included the corresponding ASL letters and I first learned to sign by reading what I saw around the classroom and observing my teacher. In music and chorus, we didn’t just learn to sing the songs, we also learned to sign them. In my view, this was a great school environment to grow up in, and I want the same for all kids in APS. 

I have a history of over 20 years as an advocate for equity and inclusion. As part of this advocacy I have worked with a segment of the student population with special needs and disabilities: Latino families and children. While only 11% of the population in Virginia is Latino, Hispanic students comprise 15% of the students with disabilities in the state, per the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Secretary of Education. 

What I have learned from speaking with families with students with disabilities is: 

• It is important to always test assessment methods and exams to ensure that tests are not inadvertently biased, but rather linguistically and culturally relevant to students. For example, assessing English language learners only in English puts those students at a disadvantage. This can often lead to scores that are not fully indicative of performance and can lead to an incorrect assessment of an intellectual disability, or assess the wrong disability, which occurred in the prominent court case “Diana vs State Board of Education”. These mistakes still happen today to kids of all backgrounds. 
• There are important cultural barriers that often exist to getting the right student assessment and support. Parents often have no idea what their child is entitled to, particularly if they don’t have much experience in U.S. schools. Culturally, Latino parents tend to trust the experts, educators and administrators, and rely on them to tell them what their child needs. This can backfire in the context of an IEP because the school may be waiting for the parent to communicate expectations, issues, or make specific requests, but the parent has no point of reference. These parents rely on the school to guide them and to explain options in their language, sometimes leaving the child in question with an incomplete or inadequate plan. 
• Inclusion remains a challenge- while national statistics from OSEP tell us that about 64% of students spend roughly 80% or more time in a general classroom, that number drops to 62% for Latino students. In APS, that number on average is 67% (from the latest data publicly available from 2017); it is 77% for white non-Hispanic students, and lowest for black and Hispanic students (53% and 56% respectively), which remains below the state target and over 13% below the APS 2018-2024 strategic plan. 

My mission in running for School Board is to help ensure that APS provides the highest quality education for all students, and to ensure that all students are challenged in ways that encourage learning, confidence, and creativity. I am committed to ensuring that APS prioritizes supporting students with disabilities and those who need the most support all around. If elected I intend to work with fellow school board members, SEPTA, ASEAC, and with the administration to see what’s necessary to ensure that APS is on track for the 2024 strategic plan. I intend to ask the administration how we can further build a more inclusive mindset across staff, administrators, curriculum and master schedules at schools. 

Q2. What do you believe to be the most significant issues or challenges within APS relating to students with disabilities? 

CLARK– Structurally, we lack the ability to fully fund and provide appropriate support for our students with disabilities [SWD]. Our planning factors, or funding, for inclusion of our SWD have not been updated in over 30 years. We see the impact of this throughout APS: 

• Classroom teachers lack resources and support to meaningfully address inclusion; this is frustrating for teachers (who are in this profession because they genuinely love teaching others) and for many families who see that their student(s) is not receiving the individualized instruction they need to fully access their education. APS’s goal of 80% inclusion, 80% of the time has never been met and we hover around 67%; basically, segregating students due to funding, as opposed to placing students in a special education setting based on student need. 

• Planning factors also impact the ability of a SWD to take intensified and AP courses, foreign languages, or other, more “rigorous” classes that may lack a co-teacher; this is seen frequently in middle and high school. 

FISHTAHLER – Staffing; Training; Teacher (Case Carrier, Counselor) Time

Crucially, the time teachers (and other staff) have to work with their students is the greatest need. As it stands now all who are serving the needs of SWD are carrying loads that are too heavy and stressful. This negatively impacts how much time there is for training and collaboration. 

• Monitoring Delivery: a School Board member needs to spend time understanding at individual school level what their needs are, and what actually happens (look beyond Central Administration’s reporting as in the case of first Quarter 2022-23 at W-L). 
• Board oversight and governance: School Board members need to build relationships with those responsible for managing the delivery of services. From my experience with the governance of NASA development programs this requires deep penetration in understanding of what is actually going on, and acting through the management structure of the institution – at times pressing for changes in that structure. I’m running for the board, not the job of Director of Student Services.  
• Comprehensive (independent) review of post-COVID reality: the 2019 Program Evaluation is documentation of the pre-COVID reality; it needs to be redone for the post-COVID reality; and it should be done by an independent entity (I would also welcome a parallel internal study – in order to compare the two results – I have experience with this sort of external review in the context of my NASA work.) There are serious issues that are quite different – one of which, attendance and reporting attendance, this is one of the challenges I confronted in my post-COVID teaching assignments. 
• Research on the impact of technology: like everywhere else we need to understand the new cognitive skills and “deficits” associated with students’ use of technologies like social media, etc. on cell phones and computers (and implications specific to SWDs):
  • Student cognition generally: in some ways students seem to have more difficulties with “long form” information sources – material that requires attention for more than a few minutes. This was identified as a problem area in my EDSE 540 class. My observations of my students’ behavior is that some of them use Reddit or TikTok as a “refuge” from the stress of demanding learning exercises. 
  • The good and bad: addiction to cellphones, and AI: 
    • Most students have not developed enough awareness, maturity, and discipline to resist the products of highly motivated, well paid, psychologically sophisticated entities that work only to capture and hold users’ attention for the economic benefit of their sponsors. I am not an enemy of cell phones; I have had students use them productively. (Some students have more Physics on their cell phones than they have in their notes. I also have them take a picture of the day’s agenda for their own reference and to let their parents know “what you learned in Physics today.”) But what is needed is the equipment for “sequestration” of cell phones in every classroom so teachers can have students’ attention during segments of direct instruction.
    • On the other hand, AI tools may offer some benefit if employed carefully – we are just at the beginning of the investigation of how to do this (this is an example of responding to a challenge when it shows up – we could have, and should have anticipated this). As far as is known I am the only teacher who has had school-based administration approval for the use of AI technology by students in the classroom for content area (Earth Science) learning experiences. This went well and was engaging to my self-contained students; there were some positive results (and no problems). I collaborated with the SPED reading teacher and she observed benefits as well. There is much work to do to develop best practices – we, APS, have the talent to do this – as board members we need to make sure they have the time to work this out. This is one of the ways in which I embrace the challenge to “do things differently” – but deliberately and carefully – no “enthusiasms.” 

LING–

1. There are simply not enough special education teachers and specialists. This leads not only to the inability to fully address each student’s needs, but increased burnout among the remaining staff. Understaffing has always been a problem, but it has been made worse by the budget cuts stemming from the 2008 recession and the post-pandemic county revenue situation.
2. General education teachers do not receive enough training or enough planning time. I’ve spoken with several parents of children with special needs who are currently or formerly in APS. They have expressed frustration that their children’s IEPs have not been followed. Several factors contribute to this problem, including the fact that general education teachers do not receive enough or effective training, they are not given enough planning time to digest and reinforce what they’ve learned, and they are not given enough help throughout the year to learn how to implement the IEPs properly. Rising class sizes have also exacerbated these challenges.
3. A defensive attitude instead of one where we work together to solve problems. The two challenges listed above have led parts of APS to become compliance based instead of goal based. Instead of “what are the steps that will help this child” it has become “we’ll offer what we are required to offer”. This puts the onus on the parents to have to continuously fight for their children, which leads to an adversarial relationship between APS staff and the parents, which helps no one.

We should do what many recommend – define achievable, measurable goals (e.g., “reading to learn by 6^th grade”, “be able to participate in class”), define the intermediate steps and metrics toward that goal, and work with the parents and teachers to create an actionable plan. A process should be put in place to adjust the plan quickly with input from everyone if/when there are setbacks. Instead, parents currently have to fight for compensatory hours which often end up not being effective. 

TAPIA-HADLEY– In my view, I think the most significant challenges within APS related to students with disabilities fall under the following categories: 

* Identification and IEP development 

As I’ve been meeting with parents with children in Special Education and/or with disabilities, I repeatedly hear how challenging it was to know what to expect when first requesting an IEP. They often would have asked for more or different things had they known that it was possible. 

We must ensure the IEP process is as easy as possible for others, especially people with fewer resources and less access to advocates, which is often needed to get services they need. Special education should remain a priority in the face of teacher shortages and other school professionals, especially for underrepresented communities. I also know parents who had no sense of the timeline to receive an IEP under the law and waited months for a full assessment of their child. As a school board member, I would fight to continue to improve the way in which we communicate SPED services, how, and where to access them, and in linguistically and culturally competent ways for families who do not primarily speak English. 

For many parents I’ve spoken to, the IEP process was long and confusing. Additionally, the limited cost sharing for private assessment creates a barrier to collecting necessary data and information for families. It should be a priority to make the Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) and the IEP process clearer, easier, and more accessible. While every IEP and 504 is written to address each student’s needs, many parents/guardians find they don’t know what they should prioritize. 

Additionally, it is necessary to employ greater consistency in identification and intervention for students across schools. The site-based management model has impacted the consistency of programming from school to school and it’s important to ensure high quality service that avoids any inequitable treatment imparted on students based on their circumstances or what school they attend. 

* Staffing needs 

• Training/professional development (beyond seizure training). If elected, I would inquire as to whether the findings in the 2019 APS report still hold true – wherein almost most special education staff reported that they needed additional time to come together and coordinate with general education staff to support, and expressed a need to provide general teachers more opportunities to use the Arlington Tiered System of Support. 

• We also need more staff for IEP process/meetings and to conduct appropriate outreach to communities, particularly those of color or with limited English proficiency. 

• Planning factors – not all special education staff and educators have the same expertise, and schools may have differing needs, we should look beyond strictly planning factors to ensure that schools have the resources to meet the needs of their special education student body. 

* Inclusion 

I believe that true inclusion is about transforming systems and structures to make them better for everyone, not adapting different students to one system. My goal will be to increase opportunities for the authentic, equitable, and well-supported inclusion of students with disabilities within APS. Additionally, as a longtime civil rights advocate, I recognize how important it is to have substantive discussions about racial equity as well as disability equity. Centering policy around the experiences of the most marginalized will help achieve equity goals for all, as evidenced by recent OSEP findings, and the DOJ case from a few years ago regarding English Language Learners (ELLs) that raised serious issues around discrimination against ELLs as well as special education students. I intend to work with school board members and the superintendent to include, support, and educate all students. 

Studies over forty years have shown that all students (both those with and without disabilities) benefit significantly from inclusive classrooms, in terms of academic test scores, long-term outcomes, and improved empathy and concern for social justice. We know that segregated,“self-contained” classrooms foster discrimination, are less effective in improving academic and social outcomes, impart lower expectations on students, and are often one-size- fits-all. 

To this end, if elected, I would advocate for recognition that segregation of students with disabilities is a civil rights issue and is harmful to all students, especially the marginalized, and I would prioritize remedying the inequities of opportunity and access. I am also supportive of providing all educators with the support and resources they need to allow meaningful inclusion and better implement universal design learning (UDL). 

* Elimination of the County Behavior Intervention Services (BIS) 

While BIS has been a service offered by the County, not APS, I join SEPTA in its concern, expressed most recently in its letter to the County dated March 22, that Arlington County plans to eliminate its children’s Behavioral Intervention Services program in the FY 2025 proposed budget. I have heard from families and teachers as to how BIS provided valuable guidance and served as a first point of reference to address challenging behaviors at home, in school, or in the community. 

Additionally, feedback from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office confirms the value in BIS services as a valuable point of intervention to support youth with specific behavioral needs. BIS helps parents, guardians and teachers on how to better support the child’s needs so they can successfully and safely participate in activities. BIS offers help that is not available through the public school system or through other community resources, and APS routinely refers children – often with disabilities – to the County BIS program. 

In reviewing the County proposed budget, I’m paying close attention to whether the County reverses the proposal to cut BIS. As with APS, I would ask whether there is room within the county board discussions to re-evaluate other line items, like consulting fees, and related contracts that could be reduced instead to keep BIS. 

Another important role of school board members, in addition to oversight of the superintendent and school administration, is to have a vision and see around corners. One troubling trend evidenced at the state level is a move towards penalizing and/or criminalizing student behavioral issues, which disproportionately threatens students with disabilities, be they of color or not, as well as students of color generally. For example, I would have strongly opposed VA House Bill 1461 that was introduced last year (it did not advance) which would have disproportionately impacted students with disabilities, students of color, and those who are low- income. 

* Extended School Year 

In order to ensure that students with disabilities do not suffer learning loss and have a safe environment over the summer, I commit to looking closely into how we can offer additional summer & extended school year programs. 

Q3. What steps should APS take to improve the identification, education, and overall experience of students with disabilities in APS? 

CLARK– 

Perhaps one of the most meaningful things we can do to improve the experience of students with disabilities, from screening and early education to graduation, is to improve the experience of our teachers. Among other things, our teachers need quality professional development and adequate staffing resources (co-teachers and instructional assistants) to allow them the time to properly address the needs of ALL their students. 

First, there is no question that universal screenings, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through high school, should be the norm. Universal screening in the early years is essential to providing the necessary supports as soon as possible, setting up students for a more positive school experience and reducing stigmas in getting help, particularly during later years. However, the fidelity with which screenings are done needs to be addressed. 

Too many students are missed because our teachers do not have adequate time, resources and training to dig deeper into potential anomalies in each child’s assessments. Low scores are often attributed to more apparent factors (ie. anxiety, fatigue, English as a second language, trauma, etc…) and not an underlying learning disability that may not be quite so obvious, especially in our twice exceptional students. 

Beyond screening, helping teachers dedicate time and attention to students’ needs is the means to the end of a better, stronger overall experience for students. In addition to providing reasonable class sizes and adequate staffing, all teachers, including general education teachers, need to be provided with meaningful training on inclusive education and not through an optional seminar. Only by combining these efforts will we see greater impact through improved student outcomes. 

FISHTAHLER – 

• Train teachers – critically in the early years – based on my mother’s experience as a highly successful kindergarten teacher (for 35+ years) specifically on this point.
• Provide teachers time – 
  • reduce class size so teachers can spend enough time with each student to understand how they feel, and how they think
  • provide time for collaboration – especially with specialists and teacher mentors
• Improve identification/screening for students who come to APS from elsewhere – and with varying kinds and degrees of education. 

LING– I have ADHD that was not diagnosed while I was in school because I was doing well enough academically. Concepts like 2e had not become commonplace yet. After being identified as an adult and receiving guidance on coping mechanisms, I have become more successful, which creates a positive feedback loop. 

Some disabilities are much easier to identify than others.  One novel approach would be to incorporate continuous testing into the apps that kids use on their tablets, in addition to teacher and parent notes, to identify kids who may warrant a more detailed evaluation.

I would also like to pull in properly vetted and trained parent volunteers and community resources. They can assist in the training of general education teachers, as well as help provide more intensive tutoring or assistance in the school setting. The former can help expose teachers to a wider range of constructive management techniques, and the latter can help kids get more individualized attention.

TAPIA-HADLEY– APS has a responsibility and obligation to provide high quality education to students with disabilities. Although this format does not allow for a full discussion of all of the crucial ways APS can deliver this experience below are some top priorities: 

Identification and support 

• More proactive engagement with parents and families, particularly at major transition points throughout students’ schooling, namely: upon entering kindergarten, transition from middle school to high school and transition from high school to the workforce or college. This can be achieved by ensuring that APS staff, school board members, and the administration proactively engage communities where they gather to provide information about the programs available, and how to access them. 
• Professional development for educators is also important in order to help them be able to best identify students who may have a disability and identify the right type of support for students across a series of needs. 

Education 

• Teach grade level appropriate content particularly in reading and mathematics to students with disabilities. Providing easier or lower level content to students with disabilities is not adequate preparation for later academic success. 

• Ensure teachers have the appropriate content knowledge base to allow them to deliver 

high quality instruction. This can only be achieved by increasing teacher compensation, growing the applicant pool for vacant positions, and hiring selectively. 

• Provide all educators additional professional development training so that they can successfully implement universal design for learning best practices. 
• Provide additional in-class instruction time to students with disabilities. 
• Ensure a positive learning environment that takes into account students’ behavioral issues and emotional needs. 

Overall Experience 

• Employ more behavior specialists and mental-health counselors. The reality is that we must first endeavor to meet the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students before we can address academic gaps. From conversations I have had with teachers, this can also help them feel more supported. 
• Provide better guidance as to how many hours a day special education teachers should work with students, how many hours a week a school psychologist should provide counseling when that is needed, and how many students should be in a “small group,” as stated in an IEP. 
• Support high school students by ensuring that they have ready access to career counseling and employment information. We must make sure that all students are either college or workforce ready upon graduation. 

Q4. What are two concrete ways that APS can improve inclusion of students with disabilities and implement universal design for learning? 

CLARK– Universal design for learning [UDL] is a teaching approach that works to accommodate the needs and abilities of ALL learners, while eliminating unnecessary roadblocks in the learning process. This should be the baseline for inclusion. There are a lot of misconceptions out there that UDL cannot equally support learners because it doesn’t challenge our advanced learners enough or it is too intense for other learners, which is simply not correct. Instead, the UDL framework encourages multiple ways to present materials for student consumption to meet each individual learner’s need. However, in order to truly accomplish UDL, teachers must receive: 

• the meaningful professional training and resources necessary to deliver learning based on student need. 

• the time to examine the curriculum before it is taught, to ensure adjustments can be made where necessary in order to make the content accessible (ex. For reading, ensuring that novels selected have a graphic novel version or audio version to ensure content is more widely accessible). 

Additionally, we can ensure schools prioritize sensory friendly opportunities for accessible engagement. For instance, each elementary school should routinely offer early hours at their ‘Open House’ or ‘Meet the Teacher Day’ that limit the number of people in the building to make meeting a student’s new teacher at the beginning of the year more accessible. Schools can also provide things like sensory tents for field days and work with their PTAs to provide sensory friendly options at school community events. 

FISHTAHLER – From my experience this can be tricky. Second semester last year I taught self-contained Earth Science, the other science course with the potential for verified credit (SOL test) that leads to a standard diploma. (And has important implications for school accreditation and compliance requirements.) A good number of my students passed the SOL (it is hard to explain the joy students feel with that accomplishment – same for their parents – same for me). (“SWD” is not a category for me – it is a signal about some characteristic of one of the students I’ve had in my class – each specific one. The reality is the student – not the signal.) Those students would not have fared as well by inclusion in co-taught classes; the smaller class sizes of self-contained classes were a crucial benefit for them. Otherwise, LRE is best (and, of course, required); some of the students I had last year I met again this year in my co-taught Principles of Physics classes – some were struggling; but they were making it because the special ed teacher is phenomenal. 

A second way of improving inclusion is through teacher training (and keeping class size down). There are several aspects to this. One is making sure general education teachers understand well how to make inclusion successful academically. Another is that they understand how to create a classroom culture of respect and acceptance of all kinds of differences so everyone is welcomed and included equally by classmates. (The COVID outage did serious damage to students’ concept of working together as a class.) This is essential to teachers’ defeating some students feeling “I am less than … ” or “I’m no good at … “ (so familiar to math teachers). Teachers need to be skilled at defeating defeatism. Teachers should also focus students’ attention on organization and the development of their “executive mental processes” – something we should all do – but is especially useful to some SWD students.

I am basing this response on my experience of post-COVID realities in two high schools – I fully realize how limited that is: dwarfed by the scope of this question (humbling like other of your questions). I don’t pretend to offer answers to things I don’t know. It in this regard that my experience as a systems engineer working on NASA development programs comes into play – I learned from my father: “If you are good at your job, you will be given additional responsibilities up to the level at which they include things beyond your own expertise – then you need to know how to work with the expertise of others.” I took that observation to heart – it is the basis of the successes of my engineering carrier, and my view and appreciation of collegiality and collaboration. I have a lot to learn – I hope to have SEPTA’s help with that.

UDL: Again, I am responding from my own (limited) experience. Teachers need time to orient curriculum towards UDL (I prefer to avoid discussing theory, and rather focus on what works in our classrooms – a lesson I learned from my undergrad studies for my BS in Psychology). I have a few quibbles with the UDL summary – e.g., “abstraction” is not the same as “generalization” and is more difficult for some LD SWD; “acceptance” of a disability is an issue sometimes acute for students (high school especially), and families. In a UDL sense we all have limits, and a “disability” is always in reference to a context – the way we do schooling is a very specific context. In this sense UDL seeks to provide more “openness” and better access for everyone. From my experience the main thing is to be alert to what works and what hinders the students in front of us in the classroom. My EL co-teacher and I noticed that our students had greater difficulty “reading” diagrams of things like electric motors – making connections between diagrams and text descriptions. My GMU EDSE-540 teacher said this had not been discussed in the literature and would be a good research topic. This kind of cognitive processing difficulty is familiar to those of us who teach math – the importance of relating multiple representations: formulae, tables, graphs, and text. Another consideration I would add is the use of block scheduling as it is done in some of our schools; not all students can maintain focus on a subject for 90 min. and retain “learning” over breaks of multiple days. Some of the motivation for block scheduling came from an “enthusiasm” of a former Superintendent – an enthusiasm Yorktown was able to resist. 

Other arrangements should be examined – and looked at through an UDL lens. 

LING– One of the strong conclusions from studies of ADA-compliant design is that things designed for people with disabilities tend to end up being a better design for everyone. Similarly, people learn in different ways, and information presented in way that builds on what children already understand has the largest impact in learning outcomes. I teach ballroom dancing, and I always try to explain things in multiple ways. I can tell how each explanation resonates with different subgroups of my students. For future instruction, I consciously try to shape explanations in a similar manner as what worked best previously.

Similarly, we should expand upon approaches that APS teachers are using to reinforce material by explaining it in multiple ways using different modalities. Such reinforcement strategies will not only help all students regardless of disabilities, but also be more inclusive in showing that there is more than one way to learn. We shouldn’t just follow the letter of laws like FAPE – we should embrace the aspirations within them, and use it to help every child.

TAPIA-HADLEY– Students with disabilities should receive instruction with the general education students in as inclusive a manner as possible. As such we must ensure that we maintain high standards across the board so that students with disabilities receive quality instruction. 

Research shows that students who develop strong reading skills in elementary school (K-3) do better in all subjects later on in middle school and high school. Targeted class size reduction is an appropriate intervention to help students with disabilities who are not reading at grade level side by side with their peers who are also working to overcome this challenge. 

If elected, I will support greater transparency on the part of APS in terms of data around special education. IDEA Indicator 5 data should be provided (whether students spend most of their day in segregated or regular classrooms), broken down by school, race/ethnicity, gender, English learner status, etc. and be more readily publicly available. 

In general, UDL provides multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression that lead to kids having greater access to learning, building upon it, and internalizing the subject matter. 

This leads to students that are purposeful and motivated and gives them more appreciation for why they are learning the content. It is a framework for thinking about how to remove barriers, even barriers that we see and many that we don’t. And it’s a way to make all instruction appropriately challenging for students, making all kids expert learners. 

Below are two concrete ways to help implement UDL: 

1)  Ensure that there are structures in the classroom to sustain students’ attention and help with self-regulation and attentive needs (a quiet corner in the room, multi-sensory instruction and representation). Similarly, provide copies or recordings of presentations, and making assessments in multiple formats or allowing students to show competency in a variety of ways. 

2)  Guarantee appropriate staffing. The Superintendent’s current proposed FY25 budget proposes cutting one staff member (from 4 to 3) for Arlington’s Tiered System of Support, which utilizes and promotes UDL. If the proposed staff reduction is a role that provides direct support to teachers and families, I would support keeping this position in place and instead cutting from the materials line item in the ATSS budget. 

Q5. What is your knowledge of and opinion of the accessibility issues in APS facilities and how would you remedy this?

CLARK– We have significant ADA issues in APS facilities, from overall building design (Fleet and The Heights) to providing functioning elevators, accessible parking, accessible playgrounds, and appropriate equipment for schools to deliver services. I believe a number of these issues have continued to appear in building designs because we don’t have the right eyes on the projects and stops in place to prevent these issues from occurring. I would start with ensuring ADA knowledgeable participants are engaged during the design phase and continue to hold staff accountable to ensuring that we have an accessible environment for all students, teachers, and visitors to our APS facilities. 

FISHTAHLER – I am not sure of the sense of “accessibility” intended in this question, or its scope. As always “make a plan, allocate resources, and monitor to make sure improvements actually show up.” – but anyone can say that. I only have direct experience of current accessibility issues from the perspective of my post-COVID teaching at Wakefield and W-L. I know there were serious accessibility issues with remote schooling during COVID, and we are still reworking material, expectations, and attitudes related to teaching and learning post-COVID (creating something new – but beyond the old or “new” normal – “normal” is a dead-end concept). 

Otherwise, I’m going to need help understanding accessibility issues that are the concerns motivating this question.

LING– I am still learning about the current accessibility issues at APS facilities, but given the age of many of our schools, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are not as good as they have the potential to be, even for retrofits. I would be happy to meet with parents and teachers to learn more about this area to make the school systems more inclusive for all students.

To remedy issues, I would create two paths. One would be to address any critical pain points that prevent students from being able to effectively participate in school learning or activities. The second would be to ensure accessibility is a critical criterion during any major renovations – again because making sure facilities are accessible is better for every student. 

TAPIA-HADLEY- I believe that APS has a responsibility to provide accessible facilities to all of its students. Although it is important to recognize the efforts that have been made, I am aware that improvements to elevator maintenance, restroom and door access, emergency evacuation, outdoor spaces, and parking are necessary. 

Consistently functioning elevators and ADA push buttons on doors are crucial to ensuring a positive independent experience for students with disabilities in all APPS facilities. One can only imagine (and SEPTA wrote about this last year) how stressful it is for students in wheelchairs to regularly face broken or malfunctioning equipment, requiring them to request assistance which may or may not be readily available. 

Furthermore, within school buildings door frame widths in many locations are not sufficient to comfortably accommodate wheelchair access. In other cases, additional and properly operating ADA push buttons on doors are necessary. 

Accessibility issues also exist outside of buildings. I’m aware that playgrounds at APS schools have either limited or no outdoor accessible play areas for students with wheelchairs and walkers. Many play surfaces are covered in mulch rather than rubberized play surfaces, which makes it difficult for students in wheelchairs and walkers to gain access to play equipment and engage positively with their peers. 

If elected to the school board, I believe that it is under the school board’s purview to have oversight over the administration and as such I would work with fellow board members to request an update on what improvements APS has done since SEPTA’s communications and survey on accessibility issues sent to the Superintendent last year. 

I would also look into transportation options for students with disabilities, I would like to know more about the rationale behind, and cost breakdown of, the transition from utilizing Red Top Cab to Everdriven. 

Q6. How familiar are you with APS’ 2019 Program Evaluation for Students with Disabilities and Those Receiving Interventions? How will you ensure that the recommendations made in this evaluation are implemented?

CLARK– I have read the 2019 Program Evaluation many times over the years. It is critical that we address access to curriculum and prioritize inclusion amongst all of the other issues. However none of this will improve or change without the appropriate funding and improvement in planning factors, ensuring that the resources are available to implement the recommendations from the Program Evaluation with fidelity. 

FISHTAHLER– There are some parts I understand well because they relate to my teaching directly – pg. 199 “Staff Knowledge.” There are other parts – not so well; they are outside my direct experience. However, this document is a “status” pre-COVID; it needs to be redone – again independently. The post-COVID reality is quite different in my teaching experience. There some specific areas I would like to see more in-depth reporting on – e.g., attendance (both student and teacher/assistants), absence reporting, and use of substitutes and their qualifications. 

LING– Thank you for alerting me to this Program Evaluation. I’m curious what our current staffing ratios are, and I would like to see recent results from a Parent Survey and Student Experience Survey.

If it has not been done recently, I would conduct a comprehensive survey of parents and students to determine which of the recommendations we have successfully implemented. Once gaps have been identified, I would advocate translating the recommendations into performance objectives (measurable goals) and metrics (KPIs) to measure progress towards those objectives. If at all possible, we should create a simple (no more than 2 question) survey for parents that we can send out on a regular schedule to determine whether any actions we take are having a measurable effect. This regular parent survey would be combined with assessments from teachers and specialists.

It would also be interesting to see what differences there are in survey results and metrics from different schools, and use those results to focus attention and training.

TAPIA-HADLEY– I am familiar with and support the recommendations. I believe that the priorities from the recommendations include: 

• Equitable standards and implementation – Set an overall district-wide vision for providing high quality services to students with disabilities and those requiring intervention. 
• Define the success of said vision through metrics and accountability to ensure student success and well-being, for e.g., from the report: 

“Regularly collect, analyze, report, and follow up on student academic/behavior-related data. Disaggregate student-level data by special need areas, race/ethnicity, EL, socio- economic disadvantage, school, school grade levels, as feasible and appropriate, to inform decision-making for the following issues: 

8.1 Representation of students in various special needs and disability areas to identify over/underrepresentation and establish follow-up activities. 

8.2 Performance data to identify instructional gaps. Benchmark progress of students with an IEP against their general education peers. 

8.3 Determination of when students should be considered for Tier 2 or 3 interventions or referral to special education” 

As a board member, I would support these recommendations and would have them as part of my consideration in evaluating program and budgetary proposals. Furthermore we need to ensure better stakeholder involvement by collaborating with local parent and advocacy groups, planning face-to-face training and publishing on-line modules to provide parents an understanding of the information in the program evaluation. Additional supplemental materials and brochures should be provided making the information more accessible and providing better access to parents with diverse linguistic needs. 

Q7. What strategies should APS use to hire and retain sufficient high-quality and diverse Special Education teachers?

CLARK–  While this is an issue for all teachers, it is glaringly apparent in the number of open Special Education positions that we are still lacking over halfway through the year. I believe it all starts with culture, and due to multiple missed Steps and COLAS, along with asking our teachers to do more with less, our teachers don’t feel respected or appreciated. One way to demonstrate respect for our teachers is to help ensure that they can afford to live in the community in which they work. Additionally, we need to create an environment in which teachers have solid healthcare benefits and access to meaningful professional development opportunities to learn and develop data driven ways to improve instruction for all learners. For Special Education teachers, we need to ensure that caseloads are reasonable and not only determined by a number of students, but also the student needs. Some students have complex needs and require more support and coordination of services; this should be taken into consideration when putting together caseloads.  

FISHTAHLER– 

• Be more aggressive in recruiting from local universities. In my EDSE 540 class this past fall semester at GMU, everyone else in that class (including the teacher) already had some relationship with Fairfax County Public Schools. We should create innovative ways to get education students into our schools to experience the culture of collegiality we have built. 
• Build a corps of “Senior Consulting Mentors” – effective teachers thinking of retiring but are willing to continue their commitment to education at a lower stress level by mentoring new and potential teachers. Fairfax does this. 
• APS has built a culture of collaboration and mutual support that in far better than I have experienced in any of my teaching or engineering experience. We need to feature this in our recruiting; we need to find ways to bring in candidates to experience this themselves. They must see that we have and deliberately promote a culture of collaboration and support that is welcoming and works hard to make everyone successful –  I have had direct benefit of this, and know and appreciate how powerful it is to feel it. HR seems to be clueless about this.
• Do what is needed to convince potential teachers that they will be supported so they will not fail, be frustrated, overwhelmed, overworked, or over stressed. Convince them that our work culture of collegial support is unique, and we have dedicated support (like the Senior Consulting Mentors proposed above) that are available to help them achieve success and satisfaction.
• We have research opportunities available in creating the future of education – we are an exciting place to work (for example cognitive development of children growing up engaged with technology, and using AI tools in teaching and learning). 
• Feature in our recruitment efforts our diversity and its challenges – if you come to Arlington you will be able to do something important – in line with why you chose education in the first place.
• Given the fiscal realities we will encounter in the next several years, we must make sure “penny wise” economies are not chosen that have damaging consequences for SWD and students with other kinds of challenges. We cannot buy ourselves out of this problem – we must maintain close competitiveness with surrounding jurisdictions, but feature other benefits e.g., our class sizes are not as large as others, etc. 

LING– The same ones to hire and retain sufficiently high-quality and diverse teachers and staff of all kinds:

1. Competitive pay – right now salaries at APS are the 5^th best out of our 8 neighbors. That pay gap needs to be closed.
2. Consistency – we currently regularly “surplus” teachers (that process just started), and then hire them again later – leaving them hanging or forcing them to move schools. For fairness reasons it’s the teachers with the least tenure that get moved/furloughed. We should provide more consistency in teaching positions, especially for hard to hire/retain positions like special education. If we need to reassign resources between schools, that change should be communicated ahead of time, and the opportunity to switch schools should be given to all teachers from the affected schools. That way the teacher who is most willing to change schools can move, and ideally the school system can maximize the amount of time that teachers have to prepare for switching to a new school. 
3. Proper support – given the high level of turnover among special education teachers, we need to provide them with the proper levels of support to be successful. This means enough time for planning, sufficient training, more professional development, and enough breaks in the day. Because of the low level of staffing at many of our schools, special education teachers are often scheduled down to the minute without time for things like bathroom breaks or travel time between different parts of the school. Teachers need adequate time to prepare for classroom instruction.

TAPIA-HADLEY– APS has a teacher compensation challenge across the board. This has led, in part, to higher turnover among special education teachers in Arlington County, particularly among those with 2-5 years of experience, thereby reducing the pipeline of experienced teachers and educators. 

Furthermore, compensation is beginning to fall behind other regional school divisions, leading to challenges in acquiring and retaining top talent. In order to maintain and deliver high quality results, APS must increase teacher pay and other forms of compensation and foster a positive work environment where students and teachers are learning and thriving. 

Some strategies that could support recruitment, hiring, and retention of staff who work with students with disabilities, include: 

• Support educators with services like the Behavioral Intervention Services (BIS) and other services that help teachers better support students and work through behavioral challenges (the County will hopefully fund this program further, not eliminate it). 

• Provide competitive compensation for special education teachers, related service providers and assistants who work with students with disabilities. 

• Provide compensation for professionals who work with students with disabilities that is commensurate with their qualifications and certifications. 

• Provide benefits for staff who work with students with disabilities, including health coverage for special education assistants, health benefits and other compensation. 

• Create additional professional development opportunities for educators, such as promoting special education expertise among general classroom teachers. 

• Expose middle and high school students to career options in special education in order to build a pipeline of future talent and potential educators focused on special education.

Q8: How should APS ensure General Education teachers are adequately prepared to instruct and meet the needs of students with disabilities? 

CLARK– There are so many competing priorities, and meaningful training for General Education teachers to support our SWD tends to drop to a lower priority based on what other trainings there are required for VDOE, APS, etc… While President of SEPTA, in coordination with ASEAC (Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee), I focused on the need for high-quality training and continuously shared feedback to Admin, Central Office, and the Office of Special Education to try to improve the continued struggle of insufficient time.

FISHTAHLER–

• Time: Perhaps the most important thing is to make sure gen ed teachers have time to work with colleagues who have expertise making inclusion work. And making sure gen ed teachers have time to spend time with each student – mainly by keeping class sizes reasonable. 
• Develop special ed assistants and change their workload so they have time to plan with the gen ed teacher. I have worked with some special education assistants that are really good. We can do better at making their assignments focused and coordinated with their gen ed teachers.

LING– APS should provide a combination of universal instruction and just-in-time training for General Education teachers. All APS teachers should have a basic understanding and appreciation of the unique challenges that face students with disabilities. All should also have instruction on how to detect when students should be screened for disabilities that require a diagnosis. Then, when a student with disabilities has been assigned to a teacher’s classroom, the teacher should receive more specific support and just-in-time instruction about best practices for creating an inclusive environment for students with disabilities.

TAPIA-HADLEY– We should support General Education teachers to receive more specialized knowledge of how to teach students with disabilities, training, and professional development on how to implement UDL. Although APS doesn’t have jurisdiction over the General Assembly, which determines certifications, teacher qualifications and evaluations, we can incorporate evaluation measures into hiring processes that screen for this type of coursework, past training, and experience. 

Q9. What strategies should APS use to hire and retain sufficient high-quality and diverse related service providers (which include but are not limited to Audiologists, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Specialists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Teachers of the Visually Impaired, ASL & Cue Interpreters, and Behavior Specialists)? 

CLARK– We have not paid our related service providers in the same manner as teachers. These positions are student facing and require a great deal of coordination efforts to ensure students at one or many of their schools are receiving services required. They should receive the same pay, steps and colas, and a great working environment no matter what school they are assigned to.

FISHTAHLER– My experience in working with some of these specialists tells me that we need to ask them – ask them why they prefer some schools over others. On the other hand, I need to understand better how we evaluate their job performance and reward really good work.

LING– Related service providers play an important role in APS schools, and it is critical that APS recruits and retains top talent that addresses the needs of the APS student body. The strategy for hiring and retaining high-quality providers starts with understanding current hiring gaps and how student demographics affect the demand for services. Hiring priorities should address the greatest need, and APS should ensure that it offer competitive pay and provides sufficient resources for these experts so that they have a quality experience in APS schools.

TAPIA-HADLEY– Hiring and retaining sufficiently highly qualified and diverse personnel is critical to providing a quality education to students with disabilities. A shortage of these personnel negatively impacts students’ ability to make educational progress and impedes APS’s ability to fulfill mandated service hours in students’ IEPs. 

Without full staffing, APS cannot meet its educational mandates for student success envisioned in the strategic plan, guiding policies, and procedures, including ensuring students with disabilities can access their curriculum without barriers, have the appropriate accommodations and resources to succeed in the classroom, and have the adequate support personnel available to flourish academically. In addition to many other services, specialists are also essential to assist some students to see, hear, eat, walk and talk. Adequate staffing is also needed to ensure the safety and supervision of disabled students at school. Retention of these specialists is particularly critical to provide continuity, to work with students with disabilities, and meeting their individualized needs. 

While APS has made considerable progress in meeting its staffing goals, challenges persist in recruitment and retention of special education providers. I am concerned with some reports indicating that candidates have turned down offers because APS pay is not competitive with other jurisdictions, which is concerning given the high cost of living in the county. 

I am supportive of exploring opportunities for increased pay, bonus, and certification incentives. However, pay is only one component of the equation in my view. Additionally, we need to be intentional in the ways we are supporting both our educators and special education service providers. I have listened to teachers and special education providers who are simply overwhelmed with all the demands and have intimated that they need better support systems along with in-service training that helps them meet the constantly evolving demands. As such, my proposed strategies include a combination of labor market analysis, right sizing pay, and providing the adequate institutional support teachers and special education service providers need to best serve our students with disabilities.

Q10. How will you engage with the special education community and/or SEPTA if you are elected? 

CLARK- I will work with SEPTA leadership in recurring meetings to listen to the feedback that they regularly hear from the disability community. I will help influence meaningful change by ensuring that a special education lens is applied to all decision making, especially at the beginning of any initiative. This is precisely what I have done as Vice Chair of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee, ensuring that each Priority team has a representative familiar with special education, including both the broad and the specialized needs of our SWD; their needs were considered when staff was laying out the objectives and strategies. 

FISHTAHLER– The scope of your questions is truly humbling. I know enough to have some idea of the many things I don’t know. Learning from my father’s observation, and incorporating that into my carrier as a systems engineer, allowed me to successfully lead the Science Advisory Committee, the ACI, and the CCPTAs. I will apply those skills to working with SEPTA, the ASEAC, and other advocates for SWD and Title 540 students. My past experience as an advocate for students of color makes me appreciate how much work is needed to make the proverbial “difference.” We must anticipate difficulties – get out of this mode of responding to existing problems – acting proactively not in response to legal actions. SWD are a special class of students with specific mandated supports. But to me SWD is not a category – it is a reminder of some of the attributes of students I have had in my class – with whom I have endeavored to make successful in school. 

I have begun to develop a collegial relationship with Kathleen. If Kathleen is elected, I will work with her to establish a warm working relationship with SEPTA. If Kathleen is not elected, I will take full responsibility for establishing that relationship directly with you (with Kathleen’s help I hope), and providing an effective path for bringing your concerns to the deliberations of the board.     I believe that if we are both elected, we would be a powerful presence on the board for our SWD and Title 504 students. We are losing a lot of experience with APS among the board members. I have a long and broad record of working with others for the benefit of our students and schools. I know it’s going to take a lot of work to do the job well – I am willing and able to do that work full time. Finally, if you or anyone contacts me with any concern, you will have an initial response within 48 hours.

The best source for information about my teaching is from those for whom and with whom I have worked with – especially post-COVID. 

In summary: I feel that I have said too much, and too little. I freely acknowledge that I have a limited experience, and have a lot to learn – which I will do. I hope that this response gives you a sense of my involvement with the education of SWD, and provides a basis for further dialog. Thanks for the opportunity to engage.

LING– I know that have a lot to learn in this area. I will continue to have conversations with parents and teachers to better understand the different challenges that students, parents, and teachers face. I will discuss potential proposals and policy changes with those stakeholders to verify any assumptions made and address any oversights.

I will also have regular check-ins with representatives from the SEPTA, from special education coordinators, from select special education teachers, and select parents – especially ones that have children with special needs that aren’t covered by the other community contacts. It will also be important to conduct exit interviews with any families that choose to leave APS.

In my management experience, if you just have an open door policy, people will only come to you when problems have reached unbearable levels. Instead, I have regular 1:1’s with my team members. These regular unstructured contact points enable me to hear about problems before they become critical. I hear about successes that my team can build on and frustrations that can be addressed before they become problems. This approach also enables me to connect with my team and create a shared understanding and shared language, so that when issues do arise, we are able to communicate effectively and have the mutual trust that we’re working towards the solution together.

I also want to make sure that parents who are new to APS are given guidance on what their rights are, and how to navigate the often labyrinthine system, with pointers to peer and advocate groups.

In the end, we need to do better for our students with disabilities. If we don’t understand the problems they and their parents face or we don’t have mutual trust, we can’t create effective solutions.

TAPIA-HADLEY– Transparency and communication are pillars of my platform as a candidate. As a School Board member, I will take ownership, and endeavor to communicate directly with SEPTA and members of the special education community. I will listen to parent concerns and advocate that the needs of our students with disabilities are meaningfully and actively addressed. 

Special education should not be seen as merely the concern of those within the special education community. I believe we must support the special education community and place their needs at the forefront alongside all of our students. Therefore, I will maintain sustained engagement with the special education community to ensure their needs are heard, input is valued, and when necessary recourse is acted upon expeditiously. I will improve the implementation of the UDL learning framework in classrooms writ large because I believe it benefits all students. If elected to the school board I look forward to exploring additional options to ensure we are providing our students with the best education possible. For this reason, I look forward to having many opportunities to regularly engage with SEPTA and its members, including directly during PTA meetings, open office hours in person and via Zoom, casual phone calls and during school visits. I will always have an open door and intend to amplify SEPTA’s expertise and shed light on your concerns to better serve the special education community.