Spring breaks are behind us and the end of the school
year is within sight.
What a great time to take a look at your special
education parent group in order to re-ignite your efforts and excitement for
improving programs for children and youth receiving special education services.
Adopt and/or readopt a mission statement: Know where you are going and how you will get there.
Invite: Ask members to reach out to people they know to build up your membership.
Diversify perspectives: Diverse racial and cultural perspectives enrich discussions and decisions. Be intentional about the composition of the group. Actively seek out missing voices.
Use your voice: Speak out on behalf of children with disabilities in your community for services, for inclusion, against budget cuts . . .
Create conversations: Encourage members to share their stories, needs, and lessons learned with each other and with policy makers.
Ask questions: You’ll get more information when you ask questions. Get answers, ask more questions and take action.
Establish credibility: List your SEAC’s accomplishments, present them to your school board, your town’s disability office, your local PTA/HSA/PTO, include them on your webpage, your brochure, and other publications.
Meet regularly: Meetings should be regular, but not too frequent. People are busy. Use meeting time effectively.
Focus: Set annual priorities and specific goals to accomplish.
Celebrate results: Make a
noticeable difference, then, celebrate! Recognizing results is energizing
and contagious.
Ideas for Running Groups
v Reach out to other parent groups in your region
and find out what has worked for them.
v Invite teachers, child study team
members, related service staff and administrators to your meetings.
v Schedule the first meeting in October -
not in September. Avoid May and June meetings.
v Form subcommittees that work between
meetings
v Delegate work to sub-committees to keep
members active.
v Do not require a commitment from
members.
v Provide childcare and have activities
and refreshments for the kids.
v Get outside help when you need it.
Ideas for Increasing the Influence of Your Parent Group
v Develop a mentoring program for students with
disabilities.
v Open a
resource library. Ask parents to donate books and other material, and ask local
doctors and other professionals to donate resources
v Develop a
scholarship program for students with disabilities.
v Co-sponsor
assemblies with other parent groups in your school.
v Work with
the recreation program to develop ways to include children with disabilities in
all programming in your community.
v Look to
your local Parent Teacher Organization for some fundraising ideas.
v Write
compliments when you get support from staff and administration.
v Find out
how parents can be involved in Special Education Self Assessment, and get a copy
of most recent assessment summary/full reports.
v Attend
Board meetings, talk about issues related to special education.
v Establish
awards for teacher
v Representative to PTA Council.
v Send a
Holiday Basket
v Have a
Board Liaison to SPED Parent Advisory Council.
v Collaborate with general education.