Located in Belfair, Washington, North Mason School District is currently serving almost 3,000 students and has a mission “To Educate, Empower, and Inspire All Students.” North Mason’s goal is for all children to meet or exceed high academic standards by developing essential skills for success in post-secondary education, the world of work, and citizenship.
About North Mason:
Student population: almost 3,000 Early Childhood through 12th grade students
16.5% Students with Disabilities
4.6% Students with Section 504 Requirements
Location: WA
Solutions used:
EmbraceIEP®
Embrace504®
EmbraceDS® (Medicaid Billing)
To ensure the District remained on target with their goal, it was imperative that they established a strong 504 program to assist students who needed additional accommodations.
After North Mason implemented Embrace504® software, staff saw the following benefits:
- one central location for all their IEP, 504, and Medicaid Billing needs
- web-based solution accessible from any device, anywhere
- on-demand customization to adhere to Washington State regulations
-secure data storage and electronic signatures
- staying compliant and passing the audit!
The Problem:
With their previous vendor, North Mason staff were not able to complete plans online and decided it was time to search for a new solution.
Chantelle Wisner
Compliance Specialist
"Embrace® allowed us the flexibility to design the 504 module for Washington specific forms."
The Goal:
“We had overall reviewed 6 different products for IEP... we wanted everything to be in one place.” explained Chantelle Wisner, Compliance Specialist for North Mason.
After deciding to sign with Embrace® for IEP and Medicaid billing software, North Mason also added the 504 module.
The district knew that Embrace® products were new to the market in Washington State, so they were excited to be part of the process of customizing Embrace504® to meet their requirements.
The Embrace team worked closely with North Mason, and others, to create a program specifically for the state. “Our state does a lot of things differently, so Embrace® allowed us the flexibility to design the 504 module for Washington specific forms,” stated Chantelle.
Chantelle Wisner
Compliance Specialist
"Users felt really good about when they left that training they could use the software right away."
The Solution:
Hands-on training and state-specific setup
After creating a state-specific platform, it was time for district-wide implementation and training. “We did district-wide training, and some of our neighboring districts joined in our training, and it was absolutely great.”
By providing clients with a dedicated Implementation Specialist, Embrace® can ensure that each district receives hands-on training and setup that meets their district’s needs and timelines.
“Users were given a test student to play around with while the training was being conducted. We felt the implementation went really well, and users felt really good about when they left that training they could use the software right away,” said Chantelle.
Web-based solution accessible anywhere
In addition to flexibility, Embrace®’s modern platform gave the district more accessibility to access their information at any time.
“Making the decision to use Embrace504® really saved us. Prior to that, we had done everything in the paper-pencil version....504s got lost as children moved building to building. With Embrace504®, we can pull up any information we need, print anything we need, and it’s all under control,” Chantelle explained.
“Everything is electronic, with unlimited uploads, and electronic signatures really maintain our compliance.”
Improved compliance
Maintaining compliance starts with staff knowing which forms they need. “Administrators being able to set the district-required forms is big. The provider may not pick all of the required forms, so requiring select forms helps with timelines and compliance,” expressed Chantelle.
“We had an audit recently and it went really well.”
Collaboration with client districts is a key component to success at Embrace®. Whether collaborating with districts to create a state-specific platform, creating custom forms or reports, or talking to users about requested features, the Embrace® goal remains the same -exceed customer expectations. So, is Chantelle satisfied with the outcome and willing to recommend the Embrace® program to other states and districts? “Absolutely, I do all the time!”
“Administrators being able to set the district-required forms is big. The provider may not pick all of the required forms, so requiring select forms helps with timelines and compliance."
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