Minutes
Quincy School Committee
Special Education Subcommittee Meeting
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
A meeting of the Special Education Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 6:00
pm at the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. James DeAmicis, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Ms. Barbara
Isola, Mrs. Emily Lebo and Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent Richard
DeCristofaro, Mrs. Catherine Carey, Mrs. Donna Cunningham, Mr. Richard Kelly, Deputy
Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mrs. Maura Papile, Ms. Judy Todd; Quincy Parent Advisory Council to
Special Education Board Members Ms. Beck, Ms. Hurld, Ms. Nabstedt; Citywide Parent Council CoPresident Paula Reynolds, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
As there was a quorum present, Mrs. Lebo called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. Special Education
Director Judy Todd introduced Patricia Favazza, Ed.D., from the University of Massachusetts/Boston
CHAMPPS program, which is currently being conducted at the Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center
with 78 children in eight classes. CHAMPPS is a response to the increasing numbers of pre-school age
students with special needs, many who lack age-level motor and school readiness skills.
CHAMPPS is two days per week, 30 minutes per day, whole and small group lessons, with individual
support as needed. The program has seven units: Foundational Skills (personal space, body
awareness; body positions); Walking and Running; Balance, Jumping, Hopping; Catching; Throwing;
Striking; Kicking. A unit consists of 6 interactive lessons and features music and follows a consistent
pattern and routine. Parent materials are available, with ideas for adaption using materials at home.
Dr. Favazza invited School Committee to observe the program and thanked Ms. Todd, who noted this
is an outgrowth of earlier work with Dr. Denning. Ms. Todd said that Dr. Denning is writing a grant to
develop a motor activity program for CARES students at Snug Harbor.
Ms. Todd introduced the next item on the agenda, the Special Education Module in Aspen. Many
teams, especially School IT, were involved in planning the transition from Easy IEP, beginning with the
system-wide rollout in 2013-2014 and continuing into this school year. Training began last June and
continued through the fall, with over 200 staff members involved. Staff at all levels transitioned IEPs
into Aspen throughout the fall, supported through Professional Development and hands-on problem
solving. Each IEP begins with a checklist and timeline, ensuring compliance with special education
laws. All teachers have access to online Quick Views of student accommodations. By June 2016,
100% of IEPs will be transitioned into Aspen. Special Education teams are meeting in the spring to
review progress, streamline the process and plan for the second year.
Ms. Beck asked if substitute teachers have access to Aspen. Long-term substitutes do, but daily
substitutes are provided with paper copies. Ms. Beck asked if parents have access to the IEP, but this is not available through Aspen currently. Mrs. Lebo asked for clarification on the IEP process, hard
copies are printed for parent signature. Ms. Hurld asked if this is for out of district students as well
and Mr. Kelly said basic information is captured in Aspen, but not the full IEPs.
Mrs. Mahoney said it is very exciting that this information is all integrated in Aspen, hopefully will
assist with transitional issues, clearly much effort that went into this implementation. Mrs. Mahoney
said she hoped in the future the out of district student information would also be available.
Mrs. White asked who is responsible for updating the accommodations. Mr. Kelly said the process is
still the same, amendments are made through the team meeting process and once signatures are
received, the accommodations are updated.
Mrs. Lebo said it must have been incredible amount of work, thanked the Special Education staff.
Ms. Todd updated on Partnerships: with UMass/Boston, a new research study called “Dance for
Fitness” will be started for girls 14-22 with cognitive impairments. With the YMCA, elementary swim
program for CARES students are ongoing and middle school CARES had athletic skills support in the
fall. Dr. DeCristofaro and Ms. Todd are meeting next week with the YMCA to plan spring activities.
Ms. Beck provided the QPAC update, noting she has met with parents individually to answer
questions. Ms. Beck was very complimentary of the Special Education team’s assistance in resolving
recent individual student issues. A QPAC board member will be attending a Federation conference in
March. Ms. Beck encouraged parents and community members to attend
Ms. Beck has applied for grants from Quincy Credit Union, Coastal Heritage Bank, and Eastern Bank
for community funding. Plans for the spring Art Contest and Show are underway and Ms. Beck would
like to set up a meeting with Dr. DeCristofaro, Ms. Todd, and Ms. Hallett. Wahlburgers will host a
tour and lunch at their Hingham restaurant for middle school students, details to be finalized.
Sensory Activity events will be scheduled for the winter and spring; one could be an after-school
enrichment and the other a parent-child event.
For general parental concerns, a broken link on the Special Education webpage was reported.
Mrs. White asked about the Policy for reporting driver issues to other parents on the same vehicle.
Ms. Todd said this procedure can be added to Transportation booklet.
The next Special Education Subcommittee is March 23, 2016.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to adjourn at 7:15 pm, seconded by Mr. DeAmicis. On a voice vote, the
ayes have it.