PCCYFS Education Summit

PCCYFS EDUCATION SUMMIT

Join PCCYFS for an Education Summit on October 17 at the Child Welfare Resource Center (403 E Winding Hill Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055) from 10 am to 2 pm.

The Summit will open with Laval Miller-Wilson, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Children, Youth & Families in the PA Dept. of Human Services, and Dr. Carrie Rowe, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Elementary & Secondary Education in the PA Dept. of Education. After opening remarks, Maura McInerney, Legal Director at the Education Law Center, and other Education Law Center staff will present on education related legislation with two breakout sessions in the afternoon related to educating youth in care.

Key Topics of the Education Summit include:

Dynamic overview of relevant legislation including Act 1, ESSA, and more
Special Education for youth in placement
School Stability for youth in placement (BID Meetings, Transfer of Credits, etc)
Roles and relationships within the education system (providers, public schools, intermediate units, PA Department of Education, Office of Children, Youth and Families)

This summit is relevant for county child welfare agencies, private provider agencies, schools, colleges/universities, court personnel, or anyone who works with youth/students involved in the child welfare system.

Speakers

Laval Miller-Wilson

Laval Miller-Wilson recently joined the PA Department of Human Services (DHS) as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF), which supervises the county-operated child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Miller-Wilson, an attorney, is deeply committed and passionate about ensuring that vulnerable populations get the care they need and deserve.

Miller-Wilson has been the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project (PHLP) since 2009, a non-profit that protects and advances health care rights through free legal services, community education, and systems advocacy. At PHLP, he worked to make the health industry and policymakers more attuned to what people want and need — and more accountable for making it happen. He was lead counsel for Medicaid enrollees on Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance (Medicaid) Advisory Committee, which advises the Commonwealth on the impact of current and proposed Medicaid policies and practices. He delivered consumer-informed perspective about the state’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act, performance of Medicaid managed care plans, and determinants of health.

Prior to joining PHLP, Miller-Wilson worked for 14 years at Juvenile Law Center (JLC) representing children in the child welfare, juvenile, and criminal justice systems. At JLC, he led their 2008 petition to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to ensure accused youth in Luzerne County had the right to counsel (subsequently known as the “Kids for Cash” scandal), and federal litigation to improve the delivery of basic and special education to children in the criminal justice system. He was also the lead author of a 2003 assessment of children’s access to counsel and the quality of representation they receive in Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system that required surveying and visiting juvenile courts across the Commonwealth.

Carrie Rowe, Ed. D.

Dr. Carrie Rowe currently serves as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) in the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The OESE provides guidance, support, and oversight to partners in the -K – 12 field, including public, approved private, career and technical centers, and charter schools across the Commonwealth on topics ranging from federal programs, curriculum and instruction, special education, and professional development to assessment, school improvement, student and staff mental health, school safety, and supporting students experiencing educational instability.

Prior to assuming her current position, Carrie served in the Department of Education in two capacities; most recently as the Advisor to the Deputy Secretary and previously as the Director for the Bureau of School Support — a Bureau whose work focused on Planning and Professional Development, Student Services, School Improvement, and Charter Schools.

Dr. Rowe brings 25 years of public education experience to her role as Deputy Secretary, having served as Superintendent of Schools in the western region of the state prior to taking a position with the Department of Education. Dr. Rowe’s career in education has been focused on fairness and justice in the allocation of resources and the elimination of institutional barriers to access and opportunity.

Sessions

Registration

Tickets- NOW AVAILABLE!

You can now register for the 2023 Education Summit. We have tickets for members and non-members now!

Simply select your ticket based on your member or non-member status. Click the “+” sign next to each ticket to identify how many of each ticket you would like to purchase, and then click the blue “Get Tickets” button at the bottom of the page.

To complete the ticket purchase, you will need each individual’s name, e-mail, organization, and title.

At the end of the checkout, you can select to pay via PAYPAL, or you can select INVOICE ME to have an invoice sent to you. Note: you do NOT need a PayPal account to pay via PayPal. PayPal allows use of a credit card to complete the purchase without a PayPal account. If you select PayPal, you will be taken to their secure website to complete the transaction.

Education: Legal Overview (1 CEU)

Maura McInerney, Esq., Legal Director – Education Law Center

This session will focus on recently enacted laws such as Act 1 of 2022 (Assisting Students Experiencing Education Instability), which promotes timely high school graduation and facilitates equal access to academics and extracurricular activities as well as removing systemic barriers for students who experience education instability as defined by legislation. This session will also cover relevant federal and state laws relating to youth in placement, including enrollment under state law, school stability under Every Student Succeeds Act, special education laws, appointment of Educational Decision Makers, and college tuition waivers for older youth.

Learning Objectives

Understand relevant education laws for youth in placement.
Apply understanding of relevant education laws for youth in placement to current practice.
Evaluate their role as well as other roles related to relevant education laws which protect youth in residential placements.

Special Education (1.5 CEUs)

Maura McInerney, Esq. – Education Law Center & CWRC Staff

This session will focus on considerations and best practices around special education for youth in placement. Review how those working in the system (providers, public schools, intermediate units, PA Department of Education, Office of Children, Youth and Families, behavioral health, etc.) can support access to appropriate and effective special education services as well as continuity of special education services for youth.

Learning Objectives

Understand current challenges and best practices in obtaining and maintaining special education services for youth in placement.
Evaluate how relationships and roles between those working in the education system interact and impact youth in placement.
Apply understanding of special education for youth in placement to current practice and cases.

School Stability (1.5 CEUs)

Paige Joki, Esq., Staff Attorney – Education Law Center & CWRC Staff

This session will focus on the importance of school stability and strategies to preserve this protection for youth in placement. Topics include but are not limited to Best Interest Determination (BID) meetings, and the roles, relationships, and responsibilities of those within the education system (providers, public schools, intermediate units, PA Department of Education, Office of Children, Youth and Families, behavioral health, etc.), and best practices to ensure effective and inclusive advocacy for young people.

Learning Objectives

Understand best practices to preserve access to school stability for youth in placement.
Evaluate how roles, relationships and responsibilities influence school stability for youth in placement (BID meetings, transfer of credits, etc.)
Engage with best student-centered practices to engage young people in BIDs and support school connection during times of transition.
Apply knowledge to current practice with youth experiencing school instability.

The Pennsylvania Council of Children Youth & Family Services (PCCYFS) (Provider #SWPR004114) is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors to offer continuing education for social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors. PCCYFS maintains responsibility for the program(s).