David Douglas proclaims Arab American Heritage Month and recognizes Autism Acceptance Month; two schools present activities

The David Douglas School Board on Thursday read a proclamation declaring April 2025 as Arab American Heritage Month in the district and heard presentations from Mill Park and Earl Boyles elementary schools about activities related to Arab American heritage and Autism Acceptance Month.

Gabriela Selena Lopez, chair of the board, read the proclamation which notes contributions of Arab Americans and calls for education and awareness to combat misconceptions and bias. Mill Park Principal Heather Craig and her staff described classroom practices at Mill Park that included morning announcements in Arabic, read-alouds and resources for teachers (including an Epic collection of Arab American authors) and noted a recent influx of Syrian refugee students to the school. Craig showed examples of in-school activities such as greetings in Arabic and community circles centered on Ramadan and Eid.

Earl Boyles Principal Lindsay DeFazio and her team described autism-acceptance activities and supports, noting that about 25 of 87 students at Earl Boyles carry an autism identification. The Earl Boyles presentation highlighted universal strategies that help all students (calm and regulation spaces, personalized feedback, processing time) and targeted supports (social stories, AAC devices, peer supports, PBIS assemblies and family engagement events). The school listed district and community resources, including Multnomah County Library sensory rooms and the district Student Services hub with teacher training and materials.

Board members thanked the school teams for classroom-level examples and resources. The proclamation was read aloud by board chair Gabriela Selena Lopez and will be posted for schools to use in classroom observances.