- What is SERC?
- CADRE webinar: IDEA Case Law Update: Lessons Learned with Art Cernosia
- 5 Actions to Reduce Exclusionary Discipline – OSEP Launches 200+Resource Database to support reducing exclusionary discipline.
- OSEP Policy Bulletins on Positive, Proactive Approaches to Supporting Children with Disabilities – Stakeholders Guide, and Questions and Answers: Addressing the Needs of Children with Disabilities and IDEA’s Discipline Provisions
- SERC’s Facilitator Training – New Training!
- Virtual/In-Person Mediation and IEP Facilitation in Oklahoma
- Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue Update
- Which Dispute Resolution Process is best for me?
- Upcoming Events
What is SERC?
The Special Education Resolution Center of OSU (SERC) has been collaborating with the Oklahoma State Department of Education for over 16 years to help families and school districts resolve conflicts at the earliest stage possible. SERC provides services for children from birth to 3 in SoonerStart and for students 3 through 21 in public schools.
What does SERC provide to schools, SoonerStart, and families at no cost?
- Training on communication and collaboration skills to help prevent conflict.
- An IEP Facilitator to manage conflict during contentious IEP meetings.
- A Mediator to guide a structured process in which parents and personnel can resolve specific issues related to special education.
- A Due Process Hearing Officer at an administrative hearing to resolve, what could not be resolved at an earlier stage. During the resolution time of the process, SERC can provide a facilitator to help the parties discuss the hearing issues in a safe and structured setting and try to resolve them if possible.
CADRE webinar: IDEA Case Law Update with Art Cernosia
Art Cernosia, CADRE’s IDEA legal consultant, reviews the most important legal cases in special education and early intervention in the recent past. In addition to reviewing the cases, he reflects upon what they may mean for the field, and encourage your questions throughout.
View the presentation here (PDF).
View the related handout here (PDF).
5 Actions to Reduce Exclusionary Discipline – OSEP Launches 200+Resource Database to Support Reducing Exclusionary Discipline.
Valerie C. Williams, Director, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), has released the Discipline Discussions blog series over the last seven months. The series highlights many of the most pressing issues in school discipline practices and behavioral supports for children with disabilities: informal removals, discipline disparities, suspensions and expulsion in early childhood programs, to name a few.
OSEP is sharing information from the technical assistance centers to provide concrete, actionable, and turnkey resources for educators, families, early childhood programs, and administrators at the state and local levels to reduce exclusionary discipline.
OSEP Policy Bulletins on Positive, Proactive Approaches to Supporting Children with Disabilities – Stakeholders Guide, and Questions and Answers: Addressing the Needs of Children with Disabilities and IDEA’s Discipline Provisions
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services released two important bulletins on June 19, 2022. These helpful bulletins are included below.
SERC’s Facilitator Training
SERC is offering a new training as a one-day course to districts beginning in the fall of 2023. The training will provide an overview of facilitation to include facilitator qualities and skills, key functions of a facilitator, the facilitator’s role before, during, and after a meeting, along with a toolbox of practical facilitator strategies and techniques to use during a meeting. This training will provide helpful resources to those who want to sharpen their skills and tools when facilitating difficult meetings. It will also benefit districts wanting to develop in-house facilitators for IEP meetings.
The training will be offered in-person with regional classes in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The course will be from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. This training is available at no cost to those attending through our partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Registration is made online. Course dates and locations with registration links are below. For more information, contact SERC’s Program Coordinator, Rob Keiter at rob.keiter@okstate.edu or (405) 569-3105.
FY24 Facilitation Training Schedule and Registration
Monday, Oct 9, 2023 – OKC Regional
Mid-Del Tech Center, Midwest City
Monday, Nov 13, 2023 – Tulsa Regional
The Sharp Center, Jenks PS
Monday, Dec 4, 2023 – OKC Regional
Mid-Del Tech Center, Midwest City
Monday, Jan 8, 2024 – Tulsa Regional
The Sharp Center, Jenks PS
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 – OKC Regional
Mid-Del Tech Center, Midwest City
Monday, March 4, 2024 – Tulsa Regional
The Sharp Center, Jenks PS
Monday, May 6, 2024 – Tulsa Regional
The Sharp Center, Jenks PS
Monday, June 3, 2024 – OKC Regional
Mid-Del Tech Center, Midwest City
Virtual/In-Person Mediation and IEP facilitation in Oklahoma
While IEP facilitations and mediations continue to be offered through online-video format with Zoom, in-person meetings are also available. Virtual meetings will be the default unless an in-person meeting is requested. To participate in a virtual meeting, you will need a computer/iPad/smartphone with WIFI and a place to meet without interruptions. Participants can also access by phone. An iPad with hot spot can be provided for use at no cost for those without access to a computer and/or WIFI. Contact SERC for more information about scheduling a virtual or in-person meeting.
Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue Update
Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is a nationally recognized training that helps people have difficult conversations that they are afraid to have or that aren’t going well. And the focus of the training is not just about communication – it’s about helping people get the results they want and need.
Crucial Conversations can help you in your conversations with:
- School administrators
- Special Education Directors and staff
- School Staff and personnel including general ed teachers
- Service resource providers
- IEP team members
- Parents and their advocates
- Organizations and family support personnel that work with children with disabilities
We offer in-person classes as well as a virtual format using Zoom that is very effective. The in-person format consists of two days, and the virtual format consists of five 2.5-hour long sessions that can be scheduled over three days or one session at a time.
Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is available at no cost to those attending through our partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. If you are interested in scheduling a future training for your district during the fall or spring, please contact Rob Keiter at rob.keiter@okstate.edu or (405) 569-3105.
- Crucial Conversations In-Person Training Agenda (PDF)
- Crucial Conversations Virtual Training Agenda (PDF)
FY 24 Crucial Conversations Regional Classes Open for Registration
Administrators – OKC Regional In-Person training
Tuesday and Wednesday, October 17-18, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Location – Mid-Del Technology Center
Administrators – Tulsa Regional In-Person training – Tuesday and Wednesday, October 24-25, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Location – The Sharp Center – Jenks Public Schools
Special Ed Directors – OKC Regional In-Person training
Tuesday and Wednesday, November 7-8, 8:30am to 4:00 pm
Location: Mid-Del Technology Center
Special Ed Directors – Tulsa Regional In-Person training
Tuesday and Wednesday, December 5-6, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Location: The Sharp Center, Jenks Public Schools
Which Dispute Resolution Process is best for me?
You may be wondering which dispute resolution process would be the best for you when dealing with special education-related disputes. This dispute chart will help you understand the differences between the three processes offered in Oklahoma. Each of these processes is offered at no cost to schools or parents. Please contact us with any questions related to our dispute resolution processes. We can help you decide which process will work the best for your situation.
View the English version of the dispute resolution chart here:
View the Spanish version of the dispute resolution chart here:
Upcoming Events
ABLE Tech Monthly AT Workshops
ABLE Tech has successfully completed several series of virtual workshops for special education and related service providers. The feedback was outstanding and focused on planning positive systemic improvements and changes.
Monthly workshops will resume for the fall in September, 2023. For more information about the ABLE Tech monthly workshops, visit the ABLE Tech calendar here.
Jo Anne Pool Blades, Program Manager
Special Education Resolution Center (SERC)
Oklahoma State University Sponsored Program. 9726 E. 42nd Street, Suite 203 | Tulsa, OK 74146
Phone: 918.270.1849, 888.267.0028
Email: jo.blades@okstate.edu
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