As many of you know, the AB SpEd PAC has been lobbying the School Committee since October to create a policy that defines the PAC's relationship to the district and the mechanism by which the PAC can carry out the tasks it is chartered to under Mass. law (since this guidance doesn't exist at this time) – specifically regarding:

 

"advising the district on matters that pertain to the education and safety of students with disabilities and meeting regularly with school officials to participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the school district's special education programs." 

 

In a recent publication by the U.S. DOE titled Engaging Parents in Education, the federal DOE has said, 

 

" PACs are parent-led organizations that function at the state, district, or school level to give parents more clout regarding their children's education. PACs promote parent influence in multiple ways, including polling communities to better understand parents' needs and wants, recommending policy, and advocating for the rights of parents to be involved in the education of their children..."

 

The regular education equivalent of a PAC is a School Council. Our district has two policies regarding how school councils function, which specify: 

 

1) How often the  Councils meet (once a month), 

2) Who Co-Chairs the School Council, and 

3) What specific activities and deliverables the Council is responsible for – 

a) Adoption of school's educational goals 

b) Identification of students' educational needs

c) Review of school building budget 

d) School Improvement Plan

 

The AB SpEd PAC is asking the School Committee to specify the same level of detail in regards to the PAC's relationship to the district and its functioning – for example: 

 

1) How often the PAC will meet with administrators and/or School Committee members during the year

2) What the composition of that group will look like and how participants will be elected/appointed

3) What specific activities and deliverables this group will be responsible for (e.g. an annual special education improvement plan for the district or contribution to development of the special education budget, etc.)

 

As a result of the AB SpEd PAC's request, the Policy Subcommittee of the School Committee has created a proposed PAC policy for the school district, which will be shared and discussed for the first time this Thursday evening, March 27th at 8:00 pm in the Junior High Library. It is the first item on the Joint School Committee agenda. If you're interested in improving parent involvement in the planning, development and evaluation of the school district's special education programs, I would encourage you to come to the School Committee meeting Thursday evening and voice your interest in the district creating a policy that reflects these goals. To the best of my knowledge the policy being proposed by the district at this time is a simple verbatim restatement of Mass. Law that doesn't indicate how the PAC will accomplish its statutory responsibilities. The PAC doesn't believe such a policy will clarify the current confusion about how the organization relates to the district or how it can accomplish its charter under the law. I'd love your support if you can make it. I think it's important that the School Committee start to see more faces than just mine. :-) Many thanks,

 

Nancy