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District schedules neurodiversity spirit week, lessons and t-shirts for May
Summary
Evergreen Park ESD 124 staff outlined plans for a neurodiversity spirit week in May with classroom lessons by grade, daily themes, and a T-shirt partnership with High 5 Heights; staff said the program emphasizes inclusion and will include lessons for all K'8th grades.
District staff presented plans at the March 19 meeting for a neurodiversity spirit week in May intended to promote inclusion across the district.
Miss Terrell told the board the program will include age-appropriate lessons for grades K'8, daily spirit themes (Movement Monday, Tie-Dye Tuesday, Wear Your Passion Wednesday, Thinking-Kind Thursday, Feel-Good Friday) and related activities. Elementary lessons will be taught by assistant principals at the building level; middle-school lessons will be delivered during advisory time and include short video and TED Talk materials for older students.
The district intends to purchase staff shirts and is working with High 5 Heights, an adult transition program in the area, to produce neurodiversity T-shirts that read "Celebrate neurodiversity" and carry the district logo; staff said they are exploring logistics for families to purchase shirts as well.
Why it matters: The program aims to teach inclusion vocabulary and practical steps students can take to include peers with different learning styles. Staff described a mix of classroom discussions, read-alouds and short activities such as student-written handprints and sticky-note commitments to promote everyday inclusion.
Next steps: Staff said lessons would be completed in May, videos and student testimonials from prior years will be shared with families, and logistics for family purchases of shirts will be finalized.
Ending: The board did not take formal action; the presentation was an informational update on district activities.
