Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District families can get a free walkthrough of the district's special education process during a one-hour Zoom workshop Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Victoria Hurst, SMMUSD's director of special education, will lead the session from 6 to 7 p.m. The workshop covers three areas: how to request a special education assessment, programs available across the district and the roles of the special education team.

The district's official flyer lists a Zoom link but does not mention requiring registration. Families can join at smmk12.zoom.us.

The district is aiming the session at parents and caregivers who are new to special education or want a better understanding of how the system works in SMMUSD. SMMUSD Educational Services promoted the event on Instagram on Sept. 29, inviting parents and caregivers to learn about the assessment process, available programs and the special education team's responsibilities.

SMMUSD's special education team

Hurst leads a department that includes Assistant Director Jillian Bucciero and coordinators assigned by school level. Carmen Durand covers Santa Monica elementary schools. Dr. Michael Hoover handles John Adams Middle School, Lincoln Middle School, SMASH, and Malibu Middle and High. Hilda Salas covers Santa Monica High School, Olympic, the Off-Campus Learning Center and PBL. Melodi Johnson covers preschool, Webster, MES, private schools and nonpublic schools. The board also approved a new coordinator, Wassim Issa, at its July 16 meeting.

The district runs a Parent Resource Network that connects families with other special education parents for peer support.