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Special Education Parent Advisory Council

Worcester Special Education Parent Advisory Council

Worcester Public Schools (WPS) Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) offers informational forums for parents and caregivers of students with special needs. SEPAC is overseen by parent volunteers with assistance from the WPS Special Education Department.

SEPAC works to:

  • Increase disability awareness
  • Provide resources for schools and families
  • Collaborate closely with WPS to develop targeted workshops for families
  • Support and provide voice parents/caregivers of students with special needs, along with the students themselves

If you are interested in joining SEPAC or have questions, please contact Worcester SEPAC officer, Perla Gillitlie or the WPS Special Education Department at 508-799-3055.  Follow Worcester SEPAC on Instagram!

 

Meetings and Events

SEPAC Welcome Parents and Families to Join Our Meetings!

If you have any questions and/or need a language interpreter or would like to register to attend a workshop, please call the Special Education Department at 508-799-3042 or 508-799-3065. View meeting minutes.


2023-24 School Year:

 

Presentation on Parents’ Rights

Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

The presentation is designed to help parents learn how to build effective partnerships with their child’s school, understand the eligibility process for special education, make decisions to support their child’s progress, and how to monitor their child’s progress in school.

Presentations provided by Dr. Tammy Murray, Director of Special Education, and Kathy Napierata, Supervisor of Compliance for Special Education. View Video.


Meet and Greet of Special Education Team

Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Durkin Administration Building, 20 Irving Street, Room 410. Virtually on Zoom.

Meet with the Special Education leadership team and learn the roles of the different team members, programs throughout the district, and how students qualify for these programs and services.


Exploring Learning Activities at Home

Wednesday, January 17, 2024, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Durkin Administration Building, 20 Irving Street, Room 410. In-person only. (No virtual option).

The purpose of this event is to promote the connection between families and schools through activities and games that can be used at home. The games will target phonetic awareness, reading, and math skills.

View meeting minutes.


SEPAC General Meeting

Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 10:00-11:00 AM

Location: Nelson Place Elementary School, 35 Nelson Place.

SEPAC welcomes parents and families to join our meetings. Interpreter service is available upon request one week prior to the meeting.

RSVP via email or fill out this Google Form.


Learning Disabilities: Speech Developmental Language Disability

Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Durkin Administration Building, 20 Irving Street, Room 410 in-person and virtually on Zoom.

The purpose of this event is to help families better understand the connection between Dyslexia and Developmental Language Disability. Samples of strategies used in school and ideas for home will be shared, providing parents and caregivers with resources for informational purposes.

View meeting minutes.


New Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Parent Training

Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Worcester Technical High School, Large Conference Room, 1 Officer Manny Familia Way. In-person. (No virtual option.)

The purpose of this event is to provide an information session for parents/guardians regarding the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) new Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Improvement Project that will be rolled out during the current 2023-24 school year.

View meeting minutes.


Special Education Transition Fair

Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 6:00-7:30 PM

Location: Worcester Technical High School, 1 Officer Manny Familia Way. In-person. (No virtual option.)

The annual Special Education Transition Fair will be held to support the successful transition of students into adulthood. Parents and guardians will have the opportunity to network and review various resources to promote and excel in their child’s academic progress beyond high school. Parents and guardians can also deepen their understanding of transition planning, which begins at age 14. They will learn about the importance of planning to prepare students to be college- or career-ready, and to develop self-advocacy skills.


Accessing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Services for Autism Through Insurance

Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Durkin Administration Building, 20 Irving Street, Room 410. Virtual option (Zoom link forthcoming.)

This presentation will provide an overview of insurance-funded Applied Behavior Analysis services and step-by-step instructions on how to access them. This presentation is for informational purposes only and the Worcester Public Schools is not endorsing any particular services. The presentation will be brought to you in collaboration with the Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.


Mental Health Awareness Month: Connecting with the Community

Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Durkin Administration Building, 20 Irving Street, Room 410. Virtual option (Zoom link forthcoming.)

This presentation will provide a look at community partners and resources available in the mental health field in and around Worcester.


Celebration of Success

May 2024 (Date and time to be determined.)

Location: To be determined.In-Person. (No virtual option.)

The annual Celebration of Success Award Ceremony recognizes and embraces our scholars’ talents, strengths, and perseverance that have been demonstrated through their self-advocacy skills and academic achievement.


 

2022-23 School Year:

 

11th Annual Event: A Celebration of Our Students’ Success and Achievement

May 31, 2023, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Location: Worcester Technical High School

This Award Ceremony recognizes and embraces our students’ talents, strengths, and perseverance demonstrated through their self-advocacy skills and academic achievement!


Mental Health Awareness Month: Connecting with the Community

May 2, 2023 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30  pm

This presentation will provide a look at community partners and resources available in the mental health field in and around Worcester.


Accessing ABA services through insurance

April 25, 2023 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

An overview of insurance funded home ABA services and step by step instructions on how to access them will be provided.  We will also provide a list of various agencies in the Worcester Area, which is for informational purposes only.  Worcester Public schools is not recommending these services, just providing parents with the resources for information purposes.

View Video


Transition Fair

March 21, 2023 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

LOCATION: Worcester Technical High School

The purpose of the event is to support the successful transition of students into adulthood. Parents will have the opportunity to network and review various resources to promote and excel their child’s academic progress beyond high school. Parents will also deepen their understanding of transition planning which begins at age 14, and will learn the importance of this planning to prepare students to be college or career ready and to develop self-advocacy skills.


Learning Disabilities and Executive Function

February 7, 2023 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

The purpose of this event is to help families better understand the connection between learning disabilities and the mental process of executive function. Samples of strategies used in school and ideas for home will be shared, providing parents with resources for informational purposes.

View Video


Fun and Easy at Home Learning Activities

January 18, 2023 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

The purpose of the event is to promote the connection between families and school through activities/games that can be used at home.  The games will target phonemic awareness, reading and math skills.

Presentation | View Video


Early Childhood Referral and Assessment

December 7, 2022 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

The purpose of this event is to explain the Early Childhood Referral and Assessment process. We will explain the referral process/ working with EI, the Team members and their roles during the assessment process, and the possible eligibility determination outcomes as a result of the assessment.

View Video


Overview of Regulations and Parents’ Basic Rights to Understanding the Special Education Process

October 5, 2022 @ 6:00 pm7:30 pm

This event will be a panel presentation designed to help parents learn how to

  1. build effective partnerships with their child’s school,
  2. understand the eligibility process for special education,
  3. make decisions to support their child’s progress
  4. monitor their child’s progress in school.

View Video


Community Resources

  • Worcester Connections Family Resource Center (508-796-1411)
  • Ecotarium (508-929-2700)
  • Girls and Boys Club (508-754-2686)
  • Head Start (508-799-3259)
  • Mass Rehab (617-204-3600)
  • Quinsigamond Community College (508-853-2300)
  • Worcester Art Museum (508-799-4406)
  • Worcester Library Main Branch (508-799-1655)
  • Worcester State University (508-929-8000)
  • Worcester Family Partnership (508-799-3136)
  • YWCA of Central Mass (508-767-2505)
  • You Inc. (508-849-5600)