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:
SEAC is accepting applications for three openings to begin July 1, 2025:
Priority will be given to those submitting an application prior to April 1, 2025. All applications are kept on file for a period of one year, and are considered in the event a seat becomes available.
For more information, refer to the Membership in the Michigan Special Education Advisory Committee document.
Interested applicants should complete the application and return it to: Teri Pettit, Ed.S., SEAC Facilitator, PettitT4@michigan.gov.
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.
The SEAC meets via Zoom on the first Wednesday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. unless indicated otherwise on the calendar. The public is welcome to view meetings and must complete the SEAC visitor registration form.
| Date | Meeting | Meeting Agenda | Meeting Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/17/2024 | Member Orientation | N/A | September Minutes |
| 11/6/2024 | Regular Business Meeting | November Agenda | November Minutes |
| 12/4/2024 | Regular Business Meeting | December Agenda | December Minutes |
| 1/8/2025 | Regular Business Meeting | January Agenda | |
| 2/5/2025 | Regular Business Meeting | February Agenda | |
| 3/5/2025 | Regular Business Meeting | ||
| 4/2/2025 | Regular Business Meeting |
As part of its duties, the SEAC annually submits a report on its activities to the State Education Agency.
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.
Advise the State Educational Agency of unmet needs within the state in the education of children with disabilities. We serve strictly as an advisory committee, we are not an advocacy committee, any advocating must be done separately from the SEAC name. We look for guidance from the Office of Special Education (OSE), the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), and the State Board of Education (SBE) in determining the unmet needs of the students with disabilities in Michigan.
Comment publicly on any rules or regulations proposed by the state regarding the education of children with disabilities. When requested, we convene an ad hoc group to write any public comment. When written and passed by a majority vote of our Executive Committee, the public comment is then submitted.
Advise the State Educational Agency in developing evaluations and reporting on data to the secretary (20 USC 1418).
Advise the State Educational Agency in developing corrective action plans to address findings identified in federal monitoring reports under this part. This only pertains to if and when the state is issued a corrective action plan, in that event OSE would come to SEAC for input.
Advise the State Educational Agency in developing and implementing policies relating to the coordination of services for children with disabilities. The Director of OSE and other MDE speakers regularly join SEAC meetings to discuss the various components of the State Performance Plan and the Annual Performance Report in an effort to keep us apprised of what is occurring and may ask for our input. Our yearly priorities guide who is asked to present at SEAC meetings.
Receive findings and decisions of all hearings related to special education (34 CFR300.513(d)(1)). These are cases occurring in Michigan and are reviewed after decisions are rendered by the courts. We study these for insights into the opinions and thoughts written therein and use our time to consider if changes need to be made in the way special education is delivered in Michigan.
