Philadelphia Right To Education Local Task Force

440 N Broad St 2nd Floor
C/O Office of Specialized Services
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-400-5151
http://www.philadelphialtf.org

**Right To Education Task Force Newsletter**

From the Chair...

Summer Greetings
Summer Greetings, Hope you are all finding a bit of time to enjoy the sun and fun of summer! While your mind is probably not on school these days, there has been lots of activity at the School District as they plan the opening of a school year under a new regime and with major changes to the structure of the District. To hear all about these changes, make sure to attend our Back to School Kick off Meeting at the ARC of Philadelphia at 2350 W Westmoreland street on Thursday September 18, 2008 with a chew and chat from 9:30-10 and meeting from 10-12pm. If you can't wait that long, we are also co-sponsoring the Parent Reception for children leaving the Early Intervention System for The District in September on 8/21/08. And, the Task Force is excited about tis plans to help enhance Extended School Year Services in Philadelphia. But, to meet you families needs we need to hear from YOU! Take our ESY survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DuugjNAxxj6gAEt7WRPKGQ_3d_3d and voice your opinion on ESY. Enjoy the rest of the summer and hope to see you all in September. The Philadelphia Right to Education Task Force
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Education Info

School District of Philadelphia services survey
Customer Service Comment Form The School District of Philadelphia would like to provide the best services possible to all who visit our schools and/or offices. You may complete this survey online at http://www.phila.k12.pa.us/customer
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State Performance Plan Public Forums
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION July 25, 2008 SUBJECT: State Performance Plan Public Forums TO: School District Superintendents Charter School Chief Executive Officers Approved Private School Presidents Intermediate Unit Executive Directors Intermediate Unit Special Education Directors Advocacy Groups Other Interested Parties FROM: John J. Tommasini Director Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, states must develop a State Performance Plan (SPP) that includes measurable and rigorous targets for twenty indicators of compliance and performance with IDEA. The SPP is a six-year plan which began in the 2005-06 school year and ends in 2010-11. Pennsylvania's SPP targets have been approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The SPP and 2006 Annual Performance Report may be accessed on the PaTTAN website: http://www.pattan.k12.pa.us/partners/spp.aspx As we approach the mid-point of the SPP span, the Bureau of Special Education (BSE) is considering revision to some of the targets. In some cases, this is necessary because OSEP provided new directions to states for calculating data; in other instances, improvement over time has exceeded expectations and we want to ensure that targets remain rigorous. The specific areas where we are seeking stakeholder input about targets and improvement activities are: Indicators 1 and 2 (Graduation and Dropout Rates); Indicator 3 (Adequate Yearly Progress); Indicator 5 (Least Restrictive Environment); Indicator 18 (Resolution Settlement Agreements); and Indicator 19 (Mediation Agreements). The BSE will be conducting three public forums next month for this purpose. The forums will be held from 9:30 to noon at the following locations: PaTTAN Harrisburg August 18 PaTTAN King of Prussia August 19 PaTTAN Pittsburgh August 20 Persons wishing to participate must pre-register. This can be done by e-mail or phone. Please provide your name, affiliation, and which location you will attend. You may either send e-mail to Enie Murphy at emurphy@pattan.net or by phone at 1-800-360-7282, ext.3407. Questions regarding the SPP may be addressed to Sandy Zeleznik, BSE Adviser, at szeleznik@state.pa.us.
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Will your child be in a K-2 Autism Support Classroom in Philadelphia next year?
Will your child be in a K-2 Autism Support Classroom in Philadelphia next year? If the answer is yes, we invite you to participate in a research project with the University of Pennsylvania. (Participation is strictly voluntary) Our goals are to: Compare two established methods of teaching children with autism: Structured Teaching and STAR (Strategies for Teaching Based on Autism Research) • Examine the progress of children in these two programs • Examine the effects of these programs on parents’ stress Participating children will: • Be evaluated at the beginning and end of the school year by experienced autism professionals. Participating parents will: • Complete surveys about their children’s behavior and family experiences • Allow their children to be videotaped in their classroom each month Participants will get: • An evaluation that can help in planning for academic and health services • $150 for your time and effort ($50 in September & $100 in June) If you are interested: Email us at: autism@mail.med.upenn.edu OR Call us at: 1 (866) 506-5841 Leave your name, number and a good time to call you back. Thank you for your interest!
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Events

Families Transitioning from Early Intervention to the School District . .
Families Transitioning from Early Intervention to the School District of Philadelphia are invited to attend The Second Annual WELCOME RECEPTION Hosted By The Office of Specialized Services Co-Sponsored by The Philadelphia Right To Education Task Force Come and • Meet School District representatives from your area • Get information you will need for a successful school year Network with school aged family support organizations A light meal will be served Eat & Greet from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.! WHEN: Thursday, August 21, 2008WHERE: School District of Philadelphia Education Center 440 North Broad Street Auditorium – Second Floor TIME: 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m RSVP is preferred by August 18, 2008! Walk-ins are welcomed. To RSVP please contact:The Philadelphia Right to Education Task Force at (215) 400-5151 or JoAnne Eggleston, OSS Parent Coordinator at (215) 400-6065 or E-mail: jeggleston@phila.k12.pa.us
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3rd Annual Parent Appreciation Day
3rd Annual Parent Appreciation Day The Premier Volunteer Recognition Event! Sat., September 27, 2008 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM At The School District of Philadelphia 440 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia PA 19130 For more information, call: 215.400.4040 Prizes, Raffles, Free Food WORKSHOPS : • VOLUNTEER SCHOOL TRANSFERS • LOW COST UTILITY PROGRAMS • COLLEGE ACCESS • FAMILY SERVICES • REAL ESTATE PLANNING • TITLE I RIGHTS & PROGRAMS • COMPUTER BASICS and many more • REFURBISHED COMPUTERS (DESK TOPS & LAPTOPS) ON SALE!!! SPONSORED BY: CDI COMPUTERS --- KELLER FINANCIAL GROUP
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Trainings

High Fidelity Wrap around
The Philadelphia Compact is pleased to host an orientation to High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) on August 14th. HFW is an evidence-based child and family teaming process that has been implemented in cities and towns across the country. HFW has been adopted by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and will be implemented in all counties throughout the commonwealth. Six counties are participating in the initial implementation phase. Philadelphia is not part of the first six counties but we have asked that the Philadelphia community have an opportunity to learn more about the process and prepare for our participation in the near future. Please RSVP to Chantha Sin: chantha.sin@phila.gov or 215-685-4985 Please feel free to distribute this notice to other interested family members, providers, advocates, and child serving agencies..
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Save the Date!
November 14 and 15, 2008: Learning Disabilities Association of Pennsylvania Annual Conference, Holiday Inn Harrisburg East. For additional information call 610.458.8193 or email LDAPAinfo@aol.com. Featuring Douglas Fuchs, PhD Chair, Special Education and Human Development, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University Co-Director, The National Center on Learning Disabilities Research Co-Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Reading Clinic Dr. Fuchs will speak on issues related to Response to Intervention (RtI). FRIDAY evening workshop on Effective Teaching Strategies, Robin Felty, Presenter, PaTTAN, plus additional Saturday afternoon workshops. LDAPA members will receive a program brochure in August. Others may be placed on a mailing list by calling LDAPA at 610.458.8193 or email LDAPAinfo@aol.com
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Resources

AUGUST Calendar from the Family Resource Center at Variety – the Children’s Charity!
Hi, Summer greetings from the Family Resource Center at Variety – the Children’s Charity! I hope this note finds you well, and you and your families are enjoying the lazy days of summer!! Attached to this note is the August (and some events beyond) Calendar of events and conferences in our region. This list seems to grow each month! I’d like to highlight a few things: * The National Autism Conference at the Penn State, Pa is on August 4 – 8th. Do not fret if you are not attending this year. Some sessions will be broadcast on a live webinar by PaTTAN. The sessions that will be broadcast can be accessed by:www.outreach.psu.edu/conference/autism and click on to the Live Web Cast page, and follow the instructions. Another great opportunity this month!!!! ... Regal Cinemas has “free” movie mornings at select theaters in our area (Philadelphia, Pa Counties, New Jersey & Delaware). Go to http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx?state=PA to find the schedule and a theater near your home. Noteworthy upcoming events: For those interested, save the date for the Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism at Citizen’s Bank Park, Saturday, September 20, 2008 Variety’s SPOOKTACULAR day at Sesame Place will be Sunday October 26th. Variety is “Going Green” Registration forms will be available on our website in September. (www.varietyphila.org). The Autism Support Network is brining Donna Williams, noted author for writing about her personal experiences and challenges living with autism, on November 15, 2008 in Harleysville, Pa. Her autobiography, Nobody Nowhere is currently under option to become a film. For more information go to www.autismsupportnetwork.org I hope to see you at some of these fabulous events! Wishing you all a fun-filled cool August!!! For full calendar, e-mail Gail Stein at gailstein@varietyphila.org www.varietyphila.org
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Miscellaneous

Keystone Mercy/Temple University Physicians contract to end Aug. 31
Keystone Mercy/Temple University Physicians contract to end Aug. 31 Wednesday July 23, 2008 CONTACT: Ray Betzner 215-204-7595 After four contract extensions and months of negotiations, Temple University Physicians (TUP) was forced to declare today that it has reached an impasse in its efforts to secure agreement with Keystone Mercy on equitable reimbursement for treating Medicaid patients. As a result, the contracts between TUP and Keystone Mercy will end effective Aug. 31, 2008. Based on the expiration of these contracts, TUP can no longer provide primary care, specialty care or hospital outpatient testing at Temple University Health System facilities for patients covered by Keystone Mercy. TUP is a faculty practice plan of the Temple University School of Medicine, with 325 full-time and 26 part-time physicians. The physicians treat patients, educate medical students and residents, and perform clinical research. “Temple University Physicians and Temple University Health System provide the primary safety net for uncompensated care in the City of Philadelphia,” said Dr. John M. Daly, dean of the School of Medicine. “We remain dedicated to continuing this long and proud tradition of providing care for all patients regardless of their ability to pay. “But TUP has sustained significant financial losses in treating these patients because we have not been adequately reimbursed for the care that it provides,” Daly said. “We must find a way to change the current reimbursement model so that the cost of treating this vulnerable population is shared more fairly by all the parties involved.” TUP’s annual revenue from Keystone Mercy is $8 million. TUP’s cost of providing services to those covered by Keystone Mercy exceeds $20 million. The change does not affect patients who have other types of medical insurance coverage. TUP will continue to see established Keystone Mercy patients who are pregnant or are being treated for chronic conditions. TUP will refer any existing patients with new conditions to Keystone Mercy. Keystone Mercy patients may also choose to switch their coverage to another provider so they can continue to receive treatment. The change in provider is free. Patients covered by another provider will be treated at usual. Keystone clients with questions should call their provider. TUP has established a call center at 215-707-4887 or 707- 4TUP to answer questions and provide additional information.
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