October is Bullying Prevention Month

The End of Bullying Begins with Me: that's the message during National Bullying Prevention Month in October. It's a time when communities can unite nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention through events, activities, outreach, and education. Resources from PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center make it easy to take action.

 

There are a variety of resources you can use during October - and throughout the year - to engage, educate, and inspire others to join the movement and prevent bullying where you live. Remember, the End of Bullying Begins With You!

 

MPACT can come to your parent group and present Bullying Prevention - What Parents Can Do.  This training contains an overview of the dynamics of bullying, including what bullying is, the types of bullying that are common, who is bullied, and why children are bullied. Other topics include steps to intervene in bullying behavior, how to encourage students who witness bullying to take action, the role of the school, and laws and policies.  Because our training schedule fills quickly, we recommend that you contact us at least thirty days in advance.  For more information on scheduling this or other trainings, call 1-877-349-3212 or 1-800-743-7634.

 

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The Juvenile Justice Resource Hub is a comprehensive source of information on cutting-edge juvenile justice issues and reform trends. 

  

Through this website, you can find:

• Ready access to reliable, accurate, curated information and analysis on juvenile justice issues.
• Relevant research
• Best practice models
• Experts in the field
• Policy levers for reform
• Toolkits and action-oriented documents
• Successful reforms

The content of this website is being developed in phases, so check back regularly for new material.

 

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The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Special Education is proposing changes to the state regulations implementing Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  These are the regulations that govern the First Steps Early Intervention Program for children, birth to three years, and their families.  These regulations also include requirements for transition from Part C (First Steps) to Part B (Early Childhood Special Education), including services to children with summer third birthdays.

The proposed changes are available for inspection until November 12, 2013, in the Office of Special Education, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 205 Jefferson Street, Jefferson City, MO 65102 during regular office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The proposed changes are also available on the Office of Special Education website.   A chart identifying the content changes is also available.

Before adopting any proposed changes necessary to comply with Part C of the IDEA Act, the state must hold hearings for public review and comment on the proposed changes to regulations.  Two public hearings on these proposed changes will be held by webinar during October 2013.  The webinar dates, times, and access links are listed below:

Proposed State Plan Changes for Part C - 1st Public Hearing Thursday, October 24, 2013, 1:30 p.m.

Proposed State Plan Changes for Part C - 2nd Public Hearing Tuesday, October 29, 2013, 1:30 p.m.

Written public comments on the proposed changes in state regulations may be submitted during the webinars or through the following methods until close of business on November 12, 2013.

By mail: Office of Special Education, Attn: Pam Schroeder, P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480
By email: Idea.Comments@dese.mo.gov, Attn: Pam Schroeder, Part C State Plan Comments
By fax: Attn: Pam Schroeder, (573) 526-4404 

 

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MPACT Parent Mentors are available to offer support and guidance to parents of children with disabilities throughout the IEP process.  Parent Mentors are volunteers who receive 24 hours of initial training, ongoing monthly training, and technical assistance from MPACT staff with regard to special education law, the IEP process, conflict resolution, and effective communication.  Their goal is to help parents build a collaborative partnership with the school district so their child may receive an appropriate education. Click here to view the list of current MPACT Parent Mentors.

 

 

 

MPACT welcomes donations in any amount and will acknowledge all donors in our Annual Report and on our MPACT Facebook page. Agency, organization and business donors making a contribution of $200.00 or more will be recognized by placing their name and logo on our website's donation page. Individual donations of $50.00 or more will be added to our Friends of MPACT list. Donations may be made by credit card through PayPal on our website or by sending a check to the state office: MPACT, 8301 State Line Rd., Ste. 204, Kansas City MO, 64114. Every donation will receive a receipt for tax purposes.