Session Highlights Could Include:

• Background & Scope of the Issue: Data and trends showing how substance use exclusions disproportionately impact students with disabilities and other marginalized groups.
• Youth Voice: Featuring perspectives or quotes from alternative schools, Recovery High School and/or Oregon Youth Addiction Alliance (OYAA) students.
• Legal Considerations: Clarifying what schools must do, what they can’t do, and the gray areas in between. Including guidance on informal removals and MDRs (Manifestation Determination Review).
• School Board Policy and/or Procedure changes:
  • Adding support options for students struggling with SU as opposed to exclusionary practices
  • Safe and inclusive options for students who divulge their own SU issues and ask for help
  • Procedural changes to include SU support (keeping students in school, as opposed to out of school)
• Alternatives to Exclusion:
  • Restorative justice practices
  • Integration into IEP goals (e.g., teaching replacement behaviors)
  • Behavior support plans

Practical Tools and Interactive Component:

• FAQs and common troubleshooting
• Skill-building strategies
• Sample policy changes
• Sample procedural changes
• Systems review and needs assessment templates
• Practice scenarios for teams
• Inviting participants to share challenges and successful approaches

Speakers:

• Lisa Joy Bateman, IDEA Initiatives Team Lead, Discipline Data Steward, ODE
• Brenda Martinek, Recovery Schools Education Specialist, ODE
• Alanna Russell, Substance Use Prevention Education Coordinator, ODE
• Holly Tate, School District Support Specialist, ODE
• Danica Jensen Weiner, Educational Equity, Safety, and Restorative Justice Specialist, ODE