(6.2) Representing the Local and Provincial Parent Association

The local association SEAC representatives have an obligation to provide information about the SEAC meetings and activities to the local association and/or provincial parent association.  The SEAC member is expected to attend 10 regular SEAC meetings each year, and to be involved in the development, and review, of the Special Education Plan and the special education budget.  This is a lot of information and the SEAC member may need guidance from the local association and/or provincial parent association about what must be reported and how.

Effective Practices for the SEAC member to represent the provincial/local parent association at SEAC include:

• Sending regular updates about the SEAC meeting to the local association or chapter and/or provincial parent association.
• Using e-mail to quickly send a short summary of the meeting or recent activities to the local association and/or provincial parent association.
• Forwarding copies of the most recent SEAC meeting Minutes to the local association and/or provincial parent association with sections or key items highlighted.
• Requesting adequate time from SEAC for consultation with the local association and/or provincial parent association when critical changes or decisions are to be made. This includes clarifying which information is public and can be shared, and requesting that the SEAC Agenda be adjusted to allow adequate time for responsive and responsible feedback.
• Listing parent association reports as a regular item on the SEAC agenda. (See Table 11 for sample report form for local association report).
• Requesting an opportunity annually, or within each SEAC term, to provide a presentation about the parent association and/or the exceptionality(ies) at a SEAC meeting.
• Making presentations about SEAC, and special education, to members of the local association, group or chapter, on a regular basis.
• Submitting articles about SEAC, and key special education issues, to be included in local association and/or provincial parent association newsletters.
• Developing a mechanism to connect individual parents within the local association, and/or provincial parent association, with SEAC members, which protects the privacy and confidentiality of both parties.

Table 11: Sample Report Form for a Local Association Member