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Special Education
PTAC has a city wide Special Education Committee, which brings together representatives from each PTA unit in the city to discuss the experiences of parents with children receiving Special Education and 504 services and advocate for city wide issues.
If you are interested in joining the committee or learning more please email: President@alexvaptac.org.
The 2024-2025 Advocacy Goals for Special Education Committee
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Working with SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) to find common goals
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Advocating for an in person orientation before school starts for special education students to acclimate to their school and schedule before the start of school
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Meaningful inclusion experiences for all students, including improving participation in the Best Buddies Friendship walk in April
Mission & Goals:
The mission of the Alexandria PTA Council Special Education Committee is to -
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Encourage our units to create a Special Education Representative or Chair position that would be a member of your PTA Executive Board and a parent of student(s) receiving special education services;
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Help parents of students receiving special education services feel more connected to their school community; and,
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Amplify the concerns of these parents to PTA, PTAC and ACPS leadership.
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Responsibilities:
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Educate your PTA Executive Board on how best to support families who have children receiving special education services within your school.
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Serve as a point of contact for families whose children receive special education services at your school.
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Meet quarterly with PTAC Special Ed Representative and representatives from other schools.
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Host an in-person or virtual meet-up so that parents of students receiving special education services can meet each other in a supported environment.
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Work with your school PTA to ensure that students with IEPs and/or 504s are appropriately supported in all afterschool PTA-sponsored activities.
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Add your Special Education Representative to the agenda of your PTA meeting once per quarter, to introduce themselves, raise any concerns or just to serve as a resource.
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Resources:
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Alexandria Special Education Parent Support (ASEPS) – Informal, private Facebook group with over 140 members. Not an official ACPS group, but most members are ACPS parents. Send me a FB direct message (Dena Wichansky Penner) to join.
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ACPS Special Education Parent Resource Center (PRC) - Provides support & information about the special ed process. Good first stop for parents with children who are new to special education.