It all comes down to this: Students who receive special education supports and services are entitled to an education program that meets their unique needs. 

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Communication while creating this program can be challenging and those involved may disagree on the appropriate way to support a student. 

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That’s when Special Education Mediation Services (SEMS) can help. 

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Whether to resolve a disagreement about the program or to provide collaborative process support, teams — and ultimately students — benefit from the skills and experience of a mediator or facilitator. SEMS helps teams in the earliest stages of intervention and educational planning and beyond through these FREE services:

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Meeting Facilitation: Facilitation can help the parties develop the best intervention plan or educational program for the circumstances. A neutral facilitator helps the participants work through communication issues so the participants can focus on and resolve the issues and complete the process.

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Mediation: Mediation aids the parties in resolving disputes that may arise between  schools and families and students with disabilities. Mediation is voluntary and confidential. The neutral mediator fosters a cooperative discussion. The parties alone make the final decisions. Successful mediation can result in a written, signed agreement that can be incorporated into an IFSP or IEP.

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Workshops and training for your staff or group that help strengthen communication and collaboration skills for special education administrators, teachers, service providers and parents.

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Community Mediation Services provides special education mediation, facilitation and training at no cost for our region/county schools and residents through Special Education Mediation Services (SEMS). These services are federally funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and paid for by a grant from the Michigan Office of Special Education.

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Visit Mikids1st.org

Call 833-543-7178