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District launches Special Education Family Advisory Council and drafts 80-page community resource guide
Summary
Evergreen Park ESD 124 staff reported the formation of a Special Education Family Advisory Council (CFAC) and previewed an 80-page community resource guide the district plans to publish when its new website launches.
District staff briefed the Evergreen Park ESD 124 board on the first-year results of its district community leadership team and the formation of a Special Education Family Advisory Council (CFAC) at the May 21 meeting.
Becky Tyrell, student support services staff, said the district has spent the year building partnerships with the Evergreen Park Library, the Village Pantry, the Center for Self Actualization and others, and that the district has a rough draft of an "80-page" community resource guide listing services from adult education to housing assistance.
"So we have our rough draft of our community resource guide. So it's 80 pages," Tyrell said. The guide will be verified for up-to-date contact information and then integrated into the district website when the district launches a redesign, staff said.
Tyrell outlined the CFAC—s initial plans: quarterly events focused on legal issues, transition planning (with the high school student-support director and early-intervention providers), a resource fair modeled on a Marist High School event, and a parent "night out" or social play opportunities for families of students with disabilities. She said Oak Lawn special recreation services are available to Evergreen residents and that the district has clinicians and a birth-to-3 program serving about 60 families.
Parents and staff discussed outreach methods including flyers, postcards, booster-club tables at packet pickup, back-to-school events and social media groups. Tyrell said parent volunteers will help manage communication in community Facebook groups and that district communications will support printing and distribution.
Board members and staff said the CFAC will be parent-led with district staff providing support, and that early topics will include transitions from middle to high school, legal Q&A, and local resource mapping.
No formal board action was required; the presentation described ongoing work and next steps for fall programming.
