District staff and families showed the school board how technology and coordinated services let two students participate in classrooms despite significant medical and mobility needs.

Kelly Segalbar, Staff member, introduced a mission-moment presentation on behalf of Weston Elementary staff that described sustained, virtual classroom participation for Kingston, a 6-year-old kindergarten student who has undergone numerous surgeries and a kidney transplant and lives with cerebral palsy. Kingston’s father, Tommy, described how the school designed a virtual participation plan after Kingston’s immune system and health concerns made regular in-person attendance unsafe. "He's trying to reach out and communicate, and he's sounding out of words now," Tommy said, describing recent gains in Kingston's interaction and communication since virtual participation began.

Joy Kreisback, Weston classroom teacher, and Molly Lipac, speech-language pathologist, described practical steps the team took to bring Kingston into morning meeting and class activities. The classroom used Google Meet (and then district-supported platforms) and adapted a setup so Kingston could see the classroom and participate in songs, counting and classroom routines. Joy noted small but meaningful responses — for example, hearts appearing on the student's screen during a weather-watcher song — and described how classmates treated Kingston as a peer: "They really don't see Kingston any different than they see themselves."

The board also saw a brief video and heard about a separate high-school-level assistive-technology example. District staff described a device and sip-and-puff technology that let Devin, a sophomore, work toward course credits, including science and English, and use assistive switches to type and access coursework. A case manager said Devin's use of the device is being built into his daily schedule and that the district hopes insurance or other supports may allow longer-term independent use.

Administrators emphasized that the work requires coordinated services — occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech, hearing and classroom teachers — and ongoing family collaboration. Tonya (staff) provided a medical status update for Kingston and said the student travels to Madison for infusions and follow-up biopsies; staff described arranging setups so Kingston can join class even from a hospital bed.

Ending: Board members thanked staff and families for the presentations. The mission moment illustrated the district's use of technology and coordinated supports to maintain instructional connection for students with complex medical needs.