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Special-education parent advisory council asks Nantucket School Committee for official seat
Summary
The Nantucket Special Education Parent Advisory Council told the school committee it wants a formal, nonvoting seat at meetings and outlined outreach plans to boost parent participation.
The Nantucket Special Education Parent Advisory Council asked the Nantucket School Committee on June 3 to consider granting the council a seat at committee meetings so it can more directly advise district leaders on services for students with disabilities.
The request came during a presentation by Suzanne Franzuto, co-chair of the council, who told the committee the council is a state-required, parent-driven organization that advises the district on programs and policies affecting students receiving special education and related services. Franzuto said the council has gained access to statewide resources through a MassPAC membership and has hosted workshops and webinars this year, including a basic rights workshop required by the Federation for Children with Special Needs.
Franzuto said the council has run into two ongoing challenges: low parent attendance and an outdated district website. To increase participation, the council plans to shift to bimonthly meetings, hold off-site "uncommon parents" sessions in months without full meetings, offer childcare and distribute a one-page flyer at initial IEP meetings and open houses. She also described a parents-helping-parents match program the council will replicate locally to give newly affected families short-term peer support.
The council emphasized that one of its duties under Massachusetts state law is to advise the school committee on the education and safety of students with disabilities and asked the committee to "consider granting us a seat at the table," noting it need not be a voting seat.
Committee members asked for an update on the website and were told the district's ed-tech director would report on progress; the ed-tech director later showed a near-complete site preview during the meeting. Franzuto said council meetings sometimes include follow-up sharing sessions at which parents voice concerns; those items are taken to district staff when appropriate so staff can follow up.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the request during the meeting.
