2025 ACSA Every Child Counts Symposium

In the seminal case of Endrew F., the Supreme Court ruled that a court may not “substitute [its] notions of sound educational policy for those of the school authorities which they review.”

But yet, several recent court decisions seem to give little weight to, or even ignore, this clear rule of law. This session will explore several such cases and point out lessons that can be learned from them. Also, you will be given five (5) practical suggestions on how to make your programs and IEPs more defensible. Lastly, the presenter will give several practical suggestions on how to support your educators.

Home and Hospital Instruction is a program all districts are required to offer; however, how do you ensure your program is compliant, well thought out and implemented, and supporting the needs of our at-promise students? This presentation will provide participants with: legal mandates; step-by-step program implementation; and sample handbook, applications, and documents. In this session, learn from a veteran administrator with over 13 years overseeing Home and Hospital Instruction and as a participant, you will walk away with tools to immediately utilize upon your return to your site and/or district.

This session focuses on addressing burnout among SPED staff by equipping them with strategies to enhance resilience and well-being. Participants will explore the unique stressors in special education, including case management, emotional demands, IEPs/legal considerations, behavior challenges and limited resources.

Administrators will gain insights into fostering a supportive culture through collaboration, professional development, and understanding the unique context that makes this role challenging. The session aims to empower administrators to navigate challenges effectively and retain special education staff.

This presentation will address why LEAs must build administrator capacity to lead IEP teams to ensure students receive a FAPE. We will discuss common barriers LEAs face to having administrators lead the team and we will develop plans to overcome those barriers. This session will provide a systematic training for administrators in attendance that can also serve as a blueprint for LEAs to continue building administrators into coaches for every IEP team.

Learning Outcomes: District level administrators will understand why it is imperative that school site administrators have the tools to lead IEP teams and will have an actionable plan to provide ongoing training for administrators. Site-level administrators in attendance will receive the tools necessary to begin leading IEP teams with confidence.

Parenting in the Digital World is a comprehensive program designed to empower professionals working with children by providing deep insights into adolescents' engagement with social media and networking platforms. Tailored for psychologists, doctors, counselors, law enforcement personnel, social workers, group home operators, and educators, the course equips participants to navigate the complexities of the digital youth culture.

Course Topics:
* Risks associated with popular social media sites:
* Understand potential risks and threats on commonly used social media platforms.
* The threat of Artificial Intelligence used for bullying, threats, and sexual exploitation
* Understand how AI is being used to injure students online.
* Online Predatory Grooming Behavior:
* Identify predatory grooming techniques used by online predators.
* The impact of phones and social media on mental health:
* Understand how the introduction of smartphones and social media has had on the mental health of children since 2010.
* Cyber Safety Techniques:
* Learn basic cyber safety techniques to safeguard teens online.