Pasco board recognizes April as National Autism Awareness Month; parents, staff praised ESE supports

The District School Board of Pasco County read a proclamation recognizing April as National Autism Awareness Month and later approved the proclamation during the meeting.

Melissa Musselwhite, identified by the board as the director of student supports, described the month as an opportunity to raise awareness and thanked parents and district staff who support students with autism. Board member Harding read the proclamation, which cited organizations’ efforts and included two statistics stated in the text: that 1 in 36 American children are diagnosed on the autism spectrum and that Pasco County Schools provides services for more than 1,800 students on the autism spectrum.

During the public comment period on agenda item 16.2, Michael Ruff, a Wesley Chapel resident, described his 8‑year‑old daughter’s experience in Sand Pine Elementary’s ESE program. Ruff said the program staff, naming teacher Keelan Palomo Gomez and others, had “transformed our lives” and that the ESE program was the primary reason his family had not moved out of state.

Musselwhite and board members publicly thanked parents and staff who attended the meeting. The board announced it would vote on the proclamation later in the agenda; the motion to approve item 16.2 passed on a board motion recorded in the meeting as “Aye. Motion carries.”

The proclamation text, as read into the record, noted that students receive services in settings ranging from general education to separate ESE classes and stated the district’s commitment to “creating a culture of disability awareness and inclusion” for the school community.