Our EC Department would like to share these latest updates and DPI resources with our families

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year's theme is "Celebrating Value and Talent.”

This annual observance recognizes the contributions of people with disabilities and highlights successful postsecondary outcomes. At Transylvania County Schools, that work starts in our classrooms, and through close collaboration with families.

Through transition planning, our high school students, including those with individualized education programs, set goals and build skills in three key areas:

Education and training: college, trade school, and certification programs
Employment: competitive, supported, and integrated employment
Independent living: daily life management, transportation, and self-care skills

The aim is to prepare our students to be successful, productive members of society.

We are proud that TCS ranks #1 in Western North Carolina for proficiency among students with disabilities. This achievement belongs first to our students, who work hard and show talent in many ways, every day. It also reflects the dedication of our EC teachers and classroom educators, who set high expectations, provide strong support, and create a caring learning environment for their students.

At TCS, every student has value and every student belongs. Thank you to our students for all they accomplish, to the parents who work alongside us, and to the educators and staff who help make our schools places where every learner can grow.

The following information is provided by NCDPI

Parent and Family Updates

New Notice of Procedural Safeguards Available!

The Notice of Procedural Safeguards: Parent’s Rights and Responsibilities in Special Education has been updated and is now available in English and Spanish on the Office of Exceptional Children’s (OEC) Resources for Families and Students website. Additional language translation versions will be available in the next few months.

The Notice of Procedural Safeguards explains the legal rights parents have under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) throughout the special education process, including participation in meetings, access to educational records, prior written notice, independent educational evaluations, dispute resolution options, and protections related to student discipline.

Parents are encouraged to review the revised document and keep a copy for future reference as they work with their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team.

Partnering for Student Success: The IEP team

The Office of Exceptional Children (OEC) is offering free live webinars for families during the annual Exceptional Children’s Conference on Wednesday, Nov. 4. “How an IEP Team Thinks: Understanding the Decision-Making Process” will be presented from noon until 1 p.m. and “Questions to Ask the IEP Team if Your Child Isn’t Making Progress” will be presented from 4 until 5 p.m. Registration is required. A meeting link will be emailed after registration is completed.

If you would like to participate in the noon session, “How an IEP Team Thinks: Understanding the Decision-Making Process,” please complete the registration linked here.
If you would like to participate in the 4 p.m. session, “Questions to Ask the IEP Team if Your Child Isn’t Making Progress,” please complete the registration linked here.

Registration will close Oct. 30. The meeting rooms will be open 10 minutes before the start. You are welcome to join at that time.

Trainings You Don’t Want to Miss

The Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) has scheduled a virtual training, “The Letter of Intent – The Most Important Document You Haven’t Written”, on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. A letter of intent (LOI) outlines information on daily needs, supports, and legal and financial matters of a person with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD). This webinar will explain what a Letter of Intent is, why it matters, and how you can start thinking about yours.

The Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC) hosts virtual training regularly each month. Tool Time Tuesday is a 30-minute virtual free session that shares practical tools, resources, and strategies for families, caregivers, and professionals supporting children with disabilities or navigating the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Longer evening webinars are also available. Topics include Parent’s Role in Special Education, Effective Communication, Communication and Collaboration, Thinking Critically, Reviewing Data and Progress, and Becoming Your Child’s Best/Most Effective Advocate. You can register for all of these sessions on ECAC’s Upcoming Webinars and Workshops website. ECAC is North Carolina’s Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center, funded in part by the Office of Special Education Programs with the U.S. Department of Education.

Inclusive Events for Families

The Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh is hosting a free event on October 28 for children with disabilities and their families to experience Marbles in a calmer, quieter environment. Sensory-Friendly Playtime occurs monthly throughout the year. Each event kicks off with a lights-up, sound-down IMAX movie at 5 p.m. with playtime starting at 5:30 p.m. You can register by choosing the event on the Marbles Kids Museum website linked here.

Cognition Interactive Children’s Museum & Makerspace in Mocksville hosts Sensory-Friendly Sundays, free for families with children in kindergarten through 5th grade who have sensory needs. Children can play, explore, and connect in a supportive environment. Families can connect with a professional to answer questions, provide support, and share resources. This free event is on October 25 and runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Attendance is limited to 25 individuals and registration is required, which is available on Cognition’s website linked here. If you miss this month’s opportunity, be sure to register for the December 27 event.

Statesville Recreation & Economic Vitality is hosting an adaptive and inclusive recreation program from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Statesville Recreation Center (The Rec). The event is open to all ages and is free. Registration is not required. Be sure to look for upcoming events at the Statesville Recreation & Economic Vitality website linked here.

Clayton Parks and Recreation is hosting Boo Bash, a Halloween celebration for individuals with developmental and/or physical disabilities and their families. The event is scheduled for October 23 at the Clayton Community Center. Boo Bash transforms the center grounds into a Halloween wonderland that includes games, music, and celebration. Costumes are not required. You can learn more about the event on the Clayton Parks & Recreation website linked here.

AI Can Help, But Ensure Information is Accurate

AI can be a helpful tool for families to learn about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), writing an email to your school team, or filing a complaint, but AI frequently gets the facts wrong.

These examples demonstrate where AI can confuse the facts:

AI may provide an answer that may be legally inaccurate, incomplete, or based on an outdated interpretation.
AI may confuse federal law with state-specific requirements. IDEA establishes federal requirements but states have their own regulations, procedures, timelines, and dispute resolution options that vary state-to-state, which can lead to an answer that does not apply to North Carolina.
AI may oversimplify a legal concept, such as least restrictive environment (LRE), free appropriate public education (FAPE), educational placement, or prior written notice, which can lead to inaccurate information.
AI tends to have a confirmation bias and validates user assumptions even when a user is wrong.
AI may confuse law, guidance, and best practices.
AI is a tool that can help parents understand their rights but is not a substitute for understanding federal law or state policies and procedures.
AI may suggest a parent file a complaint and may not distinguish between a due process complaint/petition and a formal state complaint. If a due process petition and a formal state complaint are filed at the same time, the Office of Exceptional Children (OEC) must set aside overlapping concerns pending the results of a due process hearing.
AI may not point you to local level resolutions, often the quickest for solving complaints.
AI is a tool that can help parents understand their rights but is not a substitute for understanding federal law or state policies and procedures.

If you have questions and/or concerns related to the development or implementation of your child’s IEP, please attempt to address at the classroom level, address at the school level, and, if necessary, contact the Exceptional Director for your school district. Addressing concerns at the district level can be the most efficient and effective way possible.

If you need help understanding your rights or need help with a specific issue, consider contacting one of the agencies that support families through the IEP process listed under Support for Families at the end of the newsletter.

Financial Assistance for Career Training

NCWorks Commission Approves 43 Workforce Pell Programs

Workforce Pell is a new federal financial aid opportunity that can help eligible students pay for certain short-term training programs. The program, which began in July 2026, is designed to offer another pathway to careers that require a credential or specialized training without requiring students to complete a traditional two-year or four-year degree.

Eligible programs must be at least 8 weeks but fewer than 15 weeks long and include 150 to 599 clock hours and meet federal requirements for credentials, and connection to employment or further education.

North Carolina is still building its list of eligible programs. The NCWorks Commission approved the state’s first 43 Workforce Pell programs in 16 community colleges, which are currently being reviewed through the federal approval process.

Workforce Pell can be an option for families to consider when discussing Individualized Education Program (IEP) postsecondary goals for education, training, and employment. Families can talk with their child’s IEP team about career and training goals, researching community college programs, and determining if a program is eligible for the Workforce Pell. Students who plan to pursue an eligible program next year should consider completing the 2027-2028 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid, including Pell Grants.

Scholarships for Training in Skilled Trades

The Mike Rowe Works Foundation’s Work Ethic Scholarship Program helps individuals who want to work in skilled trades, including welding, plumbing, electrical, construction, automotive technology, energy technology, information technology, farming and agriculture, licensed practical nurse, veterinary technology, cosmetology, and culinary arts, and more. The funding is designed to assist with tuition, fees, books, and necessary tools for approved vocational schools or technical programs.

The scholarship is open until October 31 for high school seniors, high school graduates, or individuals with a General Education Development (GED) certificate. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, enrolled or plan to enroll in an approved trade-related program at an accredited two-year college, vocational, technical school, or other approved technical institute. Four-year degree programs are not eligible. Former scholarship recipients can apply for second-year funding. The scholarship opens annually with four different dates throughout the year to apply. You can learn more about the scholarship, eligible programs, and how to apply at the Mike Rowe Works Foundation website linked here.

Policy Corner: Parent Participation

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 300.322 details parent rights and the responsibilities of a school district to ensure parents have an opportunity to participate in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process:

The school district must take steps to ensure that one or both of the parents can attend each IEP Team meeting or are given the opportunity to participate. Schools must notify parents of the meeting early enough to ensure parents have an opportunity to attend, and schedule the meeting at a mutually agreed upon time and place.
The invitation to the meeting must detail the purpose, time, and location of the meeting and who will attend. Parents must be informed of other individuals on the IEP Team who have knowledge or special expertise about the child and, when appropriate, the Part C service coordinator or other representatives of Part C at the initial IEP Team meeting for a child who received early intervention services and is turning 3 years old.
Schools must ensure the parents understand the proceedings of the IEP Team meeting, including providing an interpreter for parents who are Deaf or parents whose native language is other than English.
The school district is required to invite students with a disability once the student turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate. The invitation should state the purpose of the meeting to consider postsecondary goals and transition services for the student and identify any other agency that will be invited, which can include a representative of the Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD).
If neither parent can attend the meeting in person, the district must use other means to ensure parents have the opportunity to participate, including telephone calls or virtual meetings. The IEP Team can meet without a parent in attendance if the public agency is unable to convince the parents to attend. The district must document attempts to schedule a mutually agreed upon time and place. These can include records of telephone calls made or attempted and the outcomes, copies of correspondence sent to parents and any responses, and records of visits made to the parents' home or place of employment and the results of those visits.
The IEP Team must give a copy of the IEP to the parent at no cost.