1. MDE
  2. Special Education
  3. Special Education Advisory Committee

Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)

Michigan's Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandated state advisory panel to the State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education.

The mission of the SEAC is to promote positive outcomes for all Michigan students with disabilities by:

  • Gathering, sharing, and disseminating information on a state and national level.
  • Communicating with a diverse group of stakeholders.
  • Identifying unmet needs.
  • Collaborating with the Office of Special Education.
  • Engaging with various offices in the Michigan Department of Education seeking feedback and input, and advising the State Board of Education.

Interested Applicants

SEAC is accepting applications for Defined Members at Large. Applicants must meet the following "defined member" requirements:

  1. Applicant is a person with a disability, or
  2. Applicant is a parent of a child with a disability, less than 26 years of age, who currently receives special education services and has a current individualized education program (IEP), and
  3. Must be able to travel to and participate by attending monthly SEAC meetings, and
  4. Must meet one or more unmet diverse representation needs as requested by the State Board of Education who appoint new members (i.e., race, gender, disability, age, language, geographical location).

Please read the Membership in the Michigan Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) document to determine if you and/or someone you know meets the Defined Member at Large requirements for membership.

Applications will be accepted until openings are filled.

Questions? Contact: Teri Pettit, Ed.S., SEAC Facilitator, PettitT4@michigan.gov.

Membership

SEAC members are appointed by the State Board of Education. There are up to 33 members of the SEAC who represent a diverse group of stakeholders (parents, administrators, service providers, advocates, and consumers) concerned with the education of all children, including students with disabilities.

Meeting Information

The SEAC meets via Zoom on the first Wednesday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. unless indicated otherwise on the calendar. The public is welcome to view meetings and must complete a SEAC visitor registration form.

2020-2021 SEAC Meeting Schedule

Date Location Meeting Agenda Meeting Minutes
10/8/20 Regular Business Meeting October Draft Agenda October Minutes
11/4/20 Regular Business Meeting November Draft Agenda November Minutes
12/2/20 Regular Business Meeting December Draft Agenda December Minutes
1/6/21 Committee Video Meetings
(SEAC members only)		 January Draft Agenda N/A
2/3/21 Regular Business Meeting February Draft Agenda February Minutes
3/3/21 Regular Business Meeting March Draft Agenda March Minutes
4/7/21 Regular Business Meeting April Draft Agenda April Minutes
5/5/21 Regular Business Meeting May Draft Agenda May Minutes
6/2/21 Regular Business Meeting June Draft Agenda  

State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) Target Setting

The MDE OSE is publishing presentations specific to the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) Target Setting process as a mechanism to make information available to the public as part of meeting OSEPs stakeholder involvement requirements below:

Presentations

OSEP Changes to Stakeholder Process

Stakeholder Involvement: The mechanisms for soliciting broad stakeholder input on the state's targets in the SPP/APR and any subsequent revisions the state has made to those targets, and the development and implementation of Indicator 17, the State's Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). This must include:

  • The number of parent members and a description of how the parent members of the State Advisory Panel, parent center staff, parents from local and statewide advocacy and advisory committees, and individual parents were engaged in target setting, analyzing data, developing improvement strategies, and evaluating progress.
  • Description of the activities conducted to increase the capacity of diverse groups of parents to support the development of implementation of activities designed to improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
  • The mechanisms and timelines for soliciting public input for target setting, analyzing data, developing improvement strategies, and evaluating progress.
  • The mechanisms and timelines for making the results of the target setting, data analysis, development of the improvement strategies, and evaluation available to the public.

Annual Report

As part of its duties, the SEAC annually submits a report on its activities to the State Education Agency.

SEAC Governance

​Public Comment

In 2019 the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) determined the procedure governing State Advisory Panels, specifically the requirement meetings be open to the public, is no longer required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

While SEAC will continue to open its meetings to the public, we will no longer provide a time of public comment as we are merely an advisory committee "not legally capable of rendering a final decision," (Attorney General (AG) Opinion #6935). 

We advise those interested in providing public comment to attend a State Board of Education meeting where public comment is welcomed. For additional information please refer to the document Public Participation in State Board of Education Meetings.