Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn
Social workers are frequently placed in settings serving students with disabilities and need to understand and interface with special educational services. Having specific knowledge of special education law, how services are provided to students, and the nuanced needs of these students is an essential aspect of school social work and of being a professional transitioning into and partnering with schools. Week four is asynchronous with readings from the textbook and Washington’s K-12 education oversight body. Students will engage in forums and a quiz exploring special educational law. There is also a lecture video on implementing services in Washington State.
The agenda is as follows:
- Week four course plan
- General overview of special education
- Referral process for special services
- Positions and roles
- Mandated reporting
The learning objectives for this week include:
- To gain knowledge regarding the legal landscape of disability services within a school setting
- To have an understanding of the obligations schools have to serve students with special needs
- To articulate ethical decision-making
Unit Assignments
Content
- Jarolmen and Bautista-Thomas (2023) Chapter 4: Special Education and School Social Work
- Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. (OSPI, 2023) Notice of Special Education Procedural Safeguards for Students and Their Families
- Watch my lecture Video Spring 2025 SOWK 587 Week 04
W-04 A-01: Asynchronous Participation and Engagement
The expectation is that each of your replies will be substantive and provide meaningful perspectives, contributing to the forum’s conversation and scholarship. They can be related to the prompts or building on conversations shared by peers. There are three forums for this week, and you are expected to make at least 4 replies across any of the forums and read all of your peers’ replies. These forums include the following:
- Students review real-world due process hearing decisions from OSPI to better understand the legal and policy frameworks guiding special education disputes.
- In School Law and Decision Making, students identify potential ethical dilemmas in school settings and explore how to apply ethical frameworks to guide decision-making.
- The Chapter 4 discussion encourages students to reflect on IDEA 2004’s impact, family involvement, remote learning, and school social work practices, drawing from case examples and self-reflection prompts in the textbook.
Along with your replies in the forum, this week you have a quiz (see W-04 Quiz Regarding Understanding Special Education Law) based on the Notice of Special Education Procedural Safeguards for Students and Their Families reading this week.
Unit Resources
Students will read the Notice of Special Education Procedural Safeguards for Students and Their Families (OSPI, 2023) and review the website Special Education Due Process Hearing Decisions.
All of the presentations for this class can be found at https://presentations.jacobrcampbell.com. This week’s slides are Spring 2026 SOWK 587 Week 04 - School and Special Education Laws and Policies.
The Lecture Videos tab in the MyHeritage course is where you will be able to find class recordings. The video this week is at Spring 2026 SOWK 587 Week 04.
Reference
Jarolmen, J., & Bautista-Thomas, C. (2022). School social work: A direct practice guide (2nd ed.). Waveland Press.
Professional transitions to public schools course work requirement, WAC 181-79A-224 (2021). https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=181-79A-224
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. (2023). Notice of special education procedural safeguards for students and their families. https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-10/proceduralsafeguards.pdf
To-Do Lists
- Read chapter 4 and OSPI’s procedural safeguards
- Watch my lecture video
- Complete at least four replies in group forums
- Complete the quiz on special education law