The Special Education and Inclusion Committee (SEIC) of the Wake County PTA Council was once known as the Wake Special Education PTA or Wake SEPTA and was a stand-alone PTA for parents and teachers of special education students. In September 2010, Wake SEPTA disbanded after being invited to join the Wake County PTA Council as the Special Education & Inclusion Committee.

Special education students make up approximately twenty percent of the Wake County Public School System's (WCPSS) student population. The majority of special education students are served in regular education classrooms.

A student is considered to be enrolled in special education if he or she has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan. These plans include accommodations and sometimes altered curricula to allow students to fully access the educational opportunities at the school.

SEIC Liaisons have a dual role:

• We serve as links to resources for parents and educators on special education and related community services, and
• We assist school-based PTA's by offering ideas for accommodations to PTA programs that facilitate the inclusion of the whole school community. Our role is not to advocate on an individual basis in IEP meetings.

At the school level, we are planning 4 training events. The first event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25 from 6:30-8 pm at Davis Drive Elementary School and the topic will be Special Education, an Introduction. The remaining meetings have dates to be determined but I anticipate dates being in January, March and April/May. Topics will be IEPs, Special Education in higher education (college or technical college) and Transition to Middle School. These training sessions will be held jointly with SEIC at Davis Drive Middle School. Please contact me if you have questions or would like more information on these training sessions.

At the county level, SEIC will hold several informational meetings on special education topics throughout the year. Everyone is welcome to attend. SEIC also has a great listserv where parents and professionals can post information related to special education needs. Many training session announcements as well as various meeting announcements are posted on this list. It really is a great way to stay informed about special education topics in Wake County. If you aren’t a member of this listserv, I recommend joining. For more information about SEIC programs and links to some great resources, please visit www.wake-seic.org.

Some other key links you may want include:

• To join SEIC listserv, send an email to wake-seic+subscribe@gmail.com
• Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities, published by NC DPI (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction) http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/ec/policy/policies/policies-62010.pdf
• The NC Public Schools (NC DPI) Exception Children Division’s Resource Page: On this page, you will find a wealth of information including links to the NC Extended Content Standards, NC Special Education Reference, Occupational Course of Study Introduction, and Statewide Forms for Special Education, etc. Be sure to review the tabs on the left-hand side of the screen for Behavior Support and Special Programs, Instructional Support and Related Services, Parent Resources, etc. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/
• Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) Special Education Resource Page: On this page, you will find links to the Parents Rights Handbook, At a Glance and Go By Documents, WCPSS Special Education Staff Directory and Organization Chart, Program Locations, etc. http://www.wcpss.net/special-education/
• Special Education & Inclusion Committee of the Wake County PTA Council: On this website you will find links to information for preparing for your child’s IEP (including a link to acronyms and definitions commonly used in Special Education), local and national resources, newsletters and articles (including a Mediation Parent Guide), and more. www.wake-seic.org
• Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center: On this website, you will find information on IEP’s and more. Get the information and support you need to navigate the special education process. www.ecac-parentcenter.org
• Council for Exceptional Children Families’ Page: On this website, you will find various resources including a section on “About Exceptionalities” which has descriptions and links to information for the various special education eligibility areas http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutCEC/Communities/Families/default.htm#pubs
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: On this website, you will find a wealth of information on disabilities including developmental milestones for children (“Disabilities in Children” section), the IDEA law, etc. http://nichcy.org/

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about special education or suggestions on how to make our school programming more accessible to your family. My contact information is below. I look forward to volunteering with you this year.


Lisa McNeill
Special Education and Inclusion Committee Liaison
Email: LMCNEILL9@NC.RR.COM