D200 SpecEd Parent Advisory Council

Parents of students in Special Education in the Woodstock District 200 school district are still interested in a Parent Advisory Council.

Last spring surveys were to be distributed to parents of all special education students. There are probably at least 1,000 special ed students in District 200. How many were received?

About 60 surveys were returned by parents. Ninety percent expressed interest in a special ed parents' advisory council and information and training to help them with their child's education. A few were not interested. I was curious about the 700 parents who did not return surveys and wondered why they didn't return the surveys.

I could guess at some of the reasons. I'd rather know the reasons.

I tried to get a kick-off meeting before the end of the school year. No success.

I tried to get a summer kick-off meeting scheduled. No success.

On August 25 I emailed the Special Ed Dept. about getting together to discuss such a council. In a week, no reply.

Would District 200 like for this idea to just die on the vine? It's not going to happen. Some parents have spent hours (weeks! months!) and thousands of dollars getting "educated", and we are happy to share what we have learned with other parents, so that they don't have to face the drudgery of endless battles just to get the right educational services in place for their kids.

Pass information about this blog to all the parents of special ed kids in District 200. To date the district has done a fine job of keeping parents isolated. That time is past.

Well-informed parents make better partners with schools. That's the atmosphere that should exist. It could exist. It will exist.

Watch here for a list of programs and information that parents said last spring that they want. Coming soon.