A year after its inception, Easton’s Special Education PTA is going strong and has plans to expand.
Though its focus is on special education students, anyone can be involved with the group, according to its president, Jill Madeo.
“It’s open to everyone in the community,” she said.
Madeo said she has a child with special needs and the group was started to address those special needs for families like hers.
“When we first started there had been challenges on services not being met,” she said.
SEPTAs “brings together people who are interested in special education and children with special needs,” according to the Connecticut PTA website.
The goals of a SEPTA are “to ensure that all children receive an education that allows them to reach their full potential,” the website says. That is done by educating parents about special education, including identifying students with special needs and placing them in the appropriate programs to address those needs, and educating the community, including legislators, about the importance of those programs.
The SEPTA has a dual role of providing advocacy and community, Madeo said. Easton has about 50 families who are SEPTA members, as well as teachers, she said. Currently the organization is only for Samuel Staples Elementary School and Helen Keller Middle School families, but that will soon expand to Joel Barlow High School parents, she said.
“We were advised to start small, and the goal this year is to get involved at Barlow,” Madeo said.
There are a variety of areas where special education students need additional support beyond things such as a neuropsychologist, such as diet, according to Madeo. “A dietitian covers picky eating,” she said. “A lot of parents struggle to feed their kids.”
Art classes also need to be adapted to the children, she said, and to achieve those goals, the SEPTA works with teachers to assist them in any way possible.
“We find ways to support teachers,” she said, which can include extras such as gift cards.
The group holds fellowship nights, where parents can find support and get information, Madeo said. “We have partnered with Quazzy (Amusement Park in Middlebury),” she said. “They have a quiet area for kids with sensory issues and special activities for them.”
They also are partnering with the annual Fireman’s Carnival to create accommodations for kids with disabilities, she said.
“We haven’t been able to go for the last few years, but we will be going this year,” she said.
They also have worked with Easton EMS and provided sensory bags with items that can be used to calm children with special needs. The items include fidget spinners, ear muffs, squeeze balls, dry erase boards and markers.
The SEPTA also works with the Easton PTA and plans to work together more in the future, Madeo said.
“They’re lovely,” Madeo said. “We haven’t had tons of opportunities to work with them but we try to partner with them whenever we can.”
SEPTAs are growing around the state. Other districts that have SEPTAs include Cheshire, Fairfield, Hamden, Monroe, Newtown, Trumbull and Wilton. SEPTAs work with each district’s PTAs to build on the work they do, Madeo said.
“Given the fact that there is an increasing number of students that need services, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more pop up,” she said.
