Amanda Bailey, co-chair of the Acton Boxborough Special Education Parent Advisory Council, told the school committee on Oct. 9 that CPAC will prioritize relationship building, improved outreach and family education during the 2025–26 school year. "We really deeply value having our administrators present during those public meetings because that fosters trust in both directions," Bailey said.

CPAC said it will expand its communication channels, launch more workshops for families, run biweekly office hours and publish a long-form survey after AB Forward decisions are finalized. Kristen O'Neil, CPAC co-chair, said the council is pausing the long-form survey until the district completes the AB Forward process to avoid conflicting efforts. "The benefit is that we will be able to capture input once a final decision has been made," O'Neil said.

Why it matters: CPAC represents parents and guardians of students with disabilities across the district and sees itself as a stakeholder in any reorganization that could change programs or placements. The council emphasized its role in collecting district-wide family perspectives and said it will hold multiple listening sessions and workshops to gather input.

Details and background: CPAC listed specific objectives for the year: relationship building with administrators and school committee liaisons; a communications plan using website, newsletter, social media and in-person events; an advocacy-strategy workshop for families; and targeted resources on bullying and anti-ableism. The council said it is coordinating with the Federation for Children with Special Needs (MASP​AC) and the Acton Boxborough Family Network for outreach and professional learning.

CPAC announced several upcoming outreach events: a listening session on Oct. 18 (in-person 9–10 a.m., with an online session at 10:30 a.m.), a public CPAC meeting Oct. 22 at RJ Grey, and a playground meetup organized by Friends of ABC PAC on Oct. 19 at Gardner Field in West Acton. The group also said it will publish a long-form survey after AB Forward decisions are made and emphasized that its survey will ask about bullying, inclusion and IEP participation.

School officials in the audience, including school committee liaisons Glenn, Lisa and Vikram, and Director of Special Education Natalia Kroll and Assistant Director Dan Mazur (noted in the CPAC presentation), were thanked by CPAC for ongoing collaboration. CPAC said it holds monthly coordination meetings with special education administrators and will continue to seek broad family participation.

Next steps: CPAC will continue outreach, hold scheduled office hours, collect input at its October events and work with district administration to ensure families of students with disabilities have channels to provide feedback on reorganization plans and program changes.