Melinda Baird Trainings

Melinda Baird's Trainings
Education Law Made Easy^®

Can’t Afford to Send Your Staff to High-Quality Conferences With Nationally-Known Speakers? Why Not ... Bring Melinda Baird Trainings to You!

"Melinda is a dynamic presenter who brings passion, energy, humor, and years of expertise to her trainings. Who would have thought that someone could make the law so much fun! Melinda Baird’s high energy, straight talk presentation style takes tough topics such as IDEA 2004 and Section 504 and demystifies these topics to ensure that we are in compliance. I would highly recommend her trainings for all administrators and teachers."
- Jack Wiley, Superintendent, Clayton Municipal Schools

Nationally-recognized attorneys and trainers will provide your staff with intensive, engaging professional development at your district or school site. Topics include:

Autism
Discipline
IDEA 2004
Section 504
Effective IEPs
Due Process Hearings
Response to Intervention
Behavior Intervention Plans
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Functional Behavior Assessments

Each Workshop Includes:

Two-day, on-site quality training,
Comprehensive workshop manual and materials,
Pre- and post-test, &
Valuable resources.

About Melinda Baird:

Melinda Baird has been a nationally-recognized attorney and speaker in the field of special education law for more than twenty years. Now, Melinda has created a series of specially-designed professional development courses, presented by leading experts in the field, to teach administrators, special and general education teachers, supervisors, related services providers, school psychologists, and other school staff how to understand and practically implement legal requirements of the IDEIA, Section 504, Title II of the ADA, and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

About the Workshops:

Each two-Day workshops is designed to meet your professional development needs. All courses are taught by Melinda unless otherwise specified.

Workshop 1: Effective IEP Training - Understanding Your Duties, Your Rights, and Your Role on

the IEP Team

Presenter: Melinda Baird, Esq.

Most special education disputes begin with an IEP meeting “gone wrong.” This course will teach participants their specific role in an IEP meeting; how to respond to parental demands for services or assessments; the components of an IEP; how to handle confrontations with angry parents, advocates, and attorneys; the most common legal mistakes and how to avoid them, and more!

Workshop 2: Special Ed Discipline - How to Make Sense of the IDEIA Rules

Presenter: Melinda Baird, Esq.

What are the new discipline rules for special education? Is there a “double standard” for disciplining special education kids? Do teachers or parents or regular education students have any rights? This course will answer all of your questions about discipline for students with IEPs, calling the police, the “45-day rule,” responding effectively

and legally to zero tolerance violations, and manifestation determinations.

Workshop 3: Eligibility and RTI - Oh My!

Presenter: Denise Gibbs, Ed.D. or John McCook, Ed.D.

Federal law now prohibits labeling students as “LD” unless districts can prove that research-based instruction has been provided, for a lengthy period of time, in regular education classes, by highly-qualified teachers, using instructional programs “with fidelity.” The process is called “Response to Intervention,” or “RTI.” This course will answer your questions about this new way of determining special education eligibility, and provide practical information to guide you in implementing and understanding this new, and highly controversial eligibility process.

Workshop 4: How to Prepare for and Testify In a Due Process Hearing

Presenters: Melinda Baird, Esq. and William Ailor, Esq.

Educators are traditionally the worst, or least effective, witnesses in a due process hearing! Additionally, most administrators are not skilled in gathering and organizing the paperwork evidence that can make - or break - the school’s case. This course is co-taught by Ms. Baird and a former Administrative Law Judge with seventeen (17) years’ experience. The trainers will take participants through mock scenarios with active role-playing, real-life “horror stories” and practical tips developed to teach educators the litigation skills needed to succeed in a due process hearing.

Workshop 5: Easy and Compliant Special Education Documentation

Presenter: Melinda Baird, Esq.

The IDEIA 2004 and its 2006 implementing regulations impose eleven (11) new forms on school districts already struggling with the mass of paperwork required by federal and state special education laws. This course will guide participants through the documentation requirements of the new law and regulations, and teach them how to gather the data needed to prove that your school district is complying with the law.

Workshop 6: How to Conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) and Write Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs)

Presenter: John Umbreit, Ph.D.

Most educators and school psychologists are ill-prepared to conduct FBAs and to develop BIPs that work to curb or eliminate problem behavior. Discover how this process can really work for your district! Dr. John Umbreit, Professor of Special Education at the University of Arizona and a nationally-known expert in the development of FBAs and BIPs, joins with Melinda to bring you this advanced course. Course materials include Functional Behavioral Assessment and Function-Based Intervention, a new text co-authored by Dr. Umbreit and designed for graduate-level college courses.

Workshop 7: Selecting and Implementing Research-Based Reading Instruction and Interventions

Presenter: Denise Gibbs, Ed.D.

What exactly is “scientifically-based” or “research-based” reading instruction, or “SBRI?” Is there a difference between “instruction” and “intervention?” Is there any proof that these programs result in improved reading skills for students? This course is presented by Dr. Denise Gibbs, a renowned authority on the assessment of reading disabilities and the selection and implementation of reading programs. Dr. Gibbs will explain the legal framework for SBRI; provide a sample list of age-appropriate instructional programs and interventions; explain how these programs work; and lay out what resources will put your school district on the path to effectively teaching students of all ages to read!

Workshop 8: How to Develop Effective - and Appropriate - IEP Proposals

Presenter: Melinda Baird, Esq.

You’ve reached the point in an IEP meeting where the school’s proposal is to be presented. How do you craft an appropriate proposal? What level of services is required? Are parents entitled to expect the “best” educational programming for their child? What effect, if any, does the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the expectation for academic proficiency have on developing IEP proposals? This course will teach educators the “right questions” to ask and tips for creating a feasible program that works!

Workshop 9: Understanding Section 504

Presenter: Melinda Baird, Esq. or John McCook, Ed.D.

No one seems to understand who should be eligible for a 504 plan, or what services are required. Administrators and teachers who attend this comprehensive, two-day training will learn what Section 504 really says, who is eligible for a 504 plan, how to distinguish between an illness and a disability, and what services are required - for whom - and when. Never be frustrated about 504 again! Guaranteed you will understand Section 504 like never before!

Workshop 10: Developing Effective Behavior Interventions and Educational Programming for Students with Autism

Presenter: Cathy Pratt, Ph.D.

Educators are facing challenges when responding to the tremendous increase in the identification of children with autism, Asperger's Disorder, and other conditions on the autism spectrum. Exactly what IS autism, and what types of educational programming have been proven to be effective for children with this disorder? How can teachers respond appropriately to aberrant, difficult, or even dangerous behaviors of students with autism? In this specially-designed course, Dr. Cathy Pratt details the essential characteristics of disorders on the autism spectrum, the major methodological approaches for teaching these children, and effective ways of handling behaviors that impede learning.

About the Special Guest Presenters

William T. Ailor, Esq. is an attorney in private practice in Knoxville, Tennessee who served as a special education Administrative Law Judge for more than seventeen (17) years and a special education mediator for fifteen (15) years before joining Melinda in an “of counsel” role. Attorney Ailor maintains a general law practice while also assisting Melinda in the legal representation of school agencies in special education.

Denise Gibbs, Ed.D. serves as Director of the Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation Learning Centers, a position she assumed after retiring from the University of Montevallo, where she was the Director of the

Speech and Hearing Center and a professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders. Dr. Gibbs currently is the President of the Alabama Chapter of the International Dyslexia Association and a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

John McCook, Ed.D. is the former Director of Special Education for Knox County Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dr. McCook has established himself as a leader in the development and implementation of the response to intervention process. Dr. McCook lectures across the United States for state and local education agencies.

John Umbreit, Ph.D. is a Professor of Special Education at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Umbreit is a foremost authority on the development and implementation of Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans, and has developed a graduate course for training and certifying behavior specialists. Dr. Umbreit also consults with school districts and parents on positive and effective behavior interventions for students with challenging aggressive and disruptive behaviors in the classroom.

Cathy Pratt, Ph.D. is the Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community located at the Indiana University. She currently serves as Chair of the Board for the National Autism Society of America, is on the Advisory Board for the Autism Spectrum Quarterly, and is a guest editor for the Journal on Autism and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Pratt has written numerous articles, and is a nationally-recognized speaker on autism spectrum disorders, functional behavior assessment/positive behavior supports, instructional approaches, systems changes, and policy.

Schedule a Training Today ... It is Easy!

It is EASY to set up Melinda Baird’s Education Law Made Easy^® professional development workshops:

Select your workshop topic.

Call Glyna Stanfield at 423.563.5353 or email her at gcstanfield@yahoo.com for course availability
and to schedule your training(s).
Determine training location and set-up.
Invite regular education teachers, special education teachers, and administrators to attend.
Then, a nationally-recognized expert will provide your staff two-days of highly intensive, engaging training designed to meet your needs. It is that easy!

Cost:

$395 per participant (minimum 25 per site - no maximum)
Workshop fees cover all presenter’s training fees, materials, travel expenses, and incidentals.
School districts are responsible for providing training site, refreshments (if desired), microphone, and screen.

For More Information, Contact:

Melinda Baird Training, L.L.C.

P. O. Box 840 Jacksboro, TN 37757

423.563.5353 Fax: 423.563.5331

Visit: www.mbairdlaw.com