The following letter submitted by SEPAC was read during the public speaks portion of the SOMSD Board of Education meeting on 10/18/21. Good evening Board of Education members, I’m speaking to you on behalf of the board of SEPAC SOMA — the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee — to bring your attention to TWO criticalContinue reading “Letter Read at BOE Meeting (10/18/21): EBR Staffing Shortages and MMS Elevator”
Author Archives: sepacsoma
Letter Read at BOE Meeting (8/16/21): Vaccination Mandate
The following letter submitted by SEPAC was read during the public speaks portion of the 8/16/21 Board of Education meeting. Good evening Dr. Taylor, Administrators and BOE Members, The Executive Board of the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (or SEPAC) here in our district is advocating for you to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all schoolContinue reading “Letter Read at BOE Meeting (8/16/21): Vaccination Mandate”
SEPAC Letter to Dr. Taylor & BOE (8/11/21): Vaccination Mandate
The following letter was submitted on 8/11/21 on behalf of SEPAC to SOMSD Superintendent Dr. Ronald Taylor, the members of the SOMSD Board of Education and other Maplewood/South Orange community leaders. Greetings Dr. Taylor, Administrators, BOE Members and South Orange – Maplewood Community Leaders, I hope this email finds you well and enjoying your summer. Continue reading “SEPAC Letter to Dr. Taylor & BOE (8/11/21): Vaccination Mandate”
Letter read at BOE Meeting (2/22/21)
To the Administration, BOE members and SOMEA leadership: I am addressing you today on behalf of the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) to point out an urgent and critical issue that is affecting many special education families. Many children in our district had been receiving in-person Related Services, from Speech to OT and PT,Continue reading “Letter read at BOE Meeting (2/22/21)”
Tips for IEP Meetings (1/20/21)
For our January 2021 SEPAC Meeting, we discussed IEPs – goals, meetings and accommodations, for both in-person and virtual. Our co-VP of Programming Nicole Stewart, made up a Tip Sheet – attached below, to help with your child’s IEP.
Managing Behaviors and Mental Health Presentation by Solutions for Exceptional Children (12/13/20)
Nicole Stewart and Cheryl Irwin, of Solutions for Exceptional Children, put together a slide presentation in conjunction with our December 1, 2020 Meeting. Find it HERE.
Mental Health Presentation from December 1, 2020 SEPAC Meeting (12/13/20)
At the December 1, 2020 SEPAC Meeting, the focus topic was Mental Health and Behaviors during Distance Learning. There was panel discussion that included Arelis Tapia-Vargas, the School Social Worker from Clinton, and Laura Prato, one of the School Social Workers at Columbia High. They prepared a presentation for the evening that included resources forContinue reading “Mental Health Presentation from December 1, 2020 SEPAC Meeting (12/13/20)”
Letter to Dr. Taylor and BOE, submitted to Public Speaks (11/16/20)
November 16, 2020 BOE Meeting Dr. Taylor, Board of Education members, Administration and Community members: Good evening. We, the leadership of the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (aka. SEPAC), listen to concerns of families of special education students in our district and pay attention to how these concerns are addressed. We are pleased with Dr.Continue reading “Letter to Dr. Taylor and BOE, submitted to Public Speaks (11/16/20)”
SEPAC Presentation by Gerri Colon (10/27/20)
Gerri Colon, Special Education Supervisor of 9-12 was SEPAC’s Guest Speaker at the October Meeting. The focus topic was evaluations, reevaluations, and the ABCs of Special Ed. In this slide presentation, Gerri addresses questions related to this topic. The Presentation can be found here: https://sepacsoma.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sepac-presentation-by-gerri-colon.pdf
SEPAC BOE Questionnaire Responses 2020 (10/5/20)
We are pleased to share with you these 2020 Board of Education candidate statements on special education. We thank all the candidates for taking the time to share their perspectives.The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) is not a political organization, and it does not endorse candidates in any election. This presentation is intended solelyContinue reading “SEPAC BOE Questionnaire Responses 2020 (10/5/20)”
SEPAC SOMA 